Road Paved with Good Intentions
by StudyInViolet
Summary: Told to bring the enchantress Rachel Berry back to McKinley in a timely manner Kurt, Tina, Artie and Mercedes are a on quest that leads to giants, witches, enchantments, and secrets of their own past that have the potential threaten everything.
1. The Journey Begins

**Title:** Road Paved with Good Intentions  
**Type:** Gen  
**Word Count:** 36,000+  
**Rating: **PG  
**Characters/Pairings:**Mercedes, Kurt, Artie/Tina , expect cameos of others.  
**A/N:** Written for the Gleebigbang on LJ  
**Summary:**When Enchanter Ryerson attempts to blow up State Chambers opening up the chance for Guard Captain Sylvester to press an anti-magic bill, the missing enchantress Rachel Berry becomes the key to stop the wheel of the political machine. Told to bring the enchantress back to McKinley in a timely manner Kurt, Tina, Artie and Mercedes will get trapped in spells, get tangled in secrets, and try to figure out the mystery of Kurt's never ending wardrobe.

* * *

[1]

"Hold up, I am not going in there!"

Tina spun around towards her friend. Although she expected Kurt to be the one to complain she still wasn't quite surprised to see Mercedes glaring at the cave with undisguised caution. As the most pragmatic of the group she never put herself in line of dragon fire if she didn't have to.

"I heard the stories," Mercedes said hotly as Kurt studied his fingernails, "you two will be perfectly fine, but I not getting my head bitten off or worse," she shivered, "cursed."

"Mercedes," Kurt drawled, "It's just a little cave and if I'm risking my skin you can risk yours too, it's thick enough."

"We," Tina said coming between the two, knowing time was short and the cave's structure weak. "We need you. We don't know what's waiting for us back there."

"Then why are we risking our necks for it?" Mercedes said hotly.

"Stand guard, if you're not coming" Tina said shortly striding into the cave, "We'll be back."

Behind her Kurt whistled a low tune. A swirl of flames appeared in his cupped palm, casting light and shedding shadows along the cave's walls around them.

Tina glanced back seeing Mercedes still fuming at the entrance, Tina hummed a light tune causing a wind to swirl up gathering loose stones. They rattled along the cave, and there was small yelp.

Kurt smirked at her as Mercedes came running towards them. Upon seeing them she tugged at her vest, fixing them with a glare that promised harm later on. "I thought you already be in the back," she grumbled before taking lead as usual.

With Kurt's light and Mercedes need to get out her as quickly as possible the trio quickly entered the depths of the cave following the path the map indicated to a solid wall.

"According to Schue's directions," Kurt said holding the flames over the paper, "there should be a hidden pressure point along the wall."

As Tina began to search running her fingers along the rock, Mercedes stood back her fingers wrapping around the hammer at her side. "I have a thought."

"You can go back if you want to," Tina said crouching down a bit to scrape the stone.

"It's not that," Mercedes replied, "if Schue had a map, it meant he's probably not the first one to know about it."

Tina felt the stone move, and Kurt cursed under his breath.

"And you thought about that now!" He hissed, "When we might have walked into a trap?"

"Not might," Tina said as the stone shifted into form of a gnome, "have!"

"Both of you," Mercedes said pulling out her hammer, "duck!"

Kurt grabbed Tina by the arm dragging her down as Mercedes belted out a mighty note slamming her hammer into the wall. Green light filled the cave as the rock split in sync with each notes Mercedes sung.

Tina glanced up to see the rock shapes keep coming, and Mercedes was having hard time keeping the melody.

Singing softly, Tina repelled a bit of the stone, and tugged her friends' leg. "Let's get out of here."

"Wait!"

Light filled the cave once more, as Kurt stood brushing the bits of stone off his clothes. "Never mind, nothing's ripped."

Mercedes made an angry swipe at him, and Kurt ducked away causing her to chase after him.

Watching them, Tina sighed and slowly crawled their way out of yet another dead end of their quest.

* * *

Tina has spent nearly three years in the capital city of McKinley when Enchanter Ryerson went rouge attempting to blow up the State chambers heavily intoxicated and in a frenzied fit.

From what she heard, fed from the reliable sources Kurt had at his disposal, Ryerson was taken care of, but the ripples effects of his rouge magic had hit the kingdom hard. The Captain of the elite Cherrio guard, Sue Sylvester had been pushing for years to restrict magic use in the kingdom. She been ramming heads with their teacher, the Grand Vizier for years, and Ryerson's lapse was just the opportunity to strike.

"You saw the news?" Schue said tossing the paper onto the table. Tina reached for it while Kurt leaned back on his chair his hands cupped underneath his chin. "Sylvester finally has the backers for the bill, it's going to take a while to pass through since it had to be drafted and approve, but time is of the essence."

"What can we do?" Mercedes had just arrived that morning, still wearing travel stained clothes, with a report yet to be filed with the King. "It's rougher out there, and people being through poultices and," she mimed the ward away evil sign with her fingers, "even more than usual. I couldn't even get an audience with half the nobles even when I showed them your mark."

Schue passed around the makeshift classroom, where the marks of theirs and other less than successful spells that marked the walls and ceiling in charred remains.

"You'll have to find Rachel."

"No," Kurt protested as all four chairs hit the floor with a bang. "I'm not bringing her back. She disappeared on us, she-"

"Has the power and skill to sway half the Senate," Schue interrupted "most of the noble seats since she was in contact with most of them before her disappearance. But most of all she can act as State Enchanter."

"And none of us can?" Mercedes said hotly, "we can make this work without Rachel."

"It won't work," Schue said, "Rachel has the power that can be a swaying for, she's our star so to speak, the most talented person I have ever taught."

Mercedes looked enraged but she kept quiet, drumming her fingers on the table.

"So you're asking us to find Rachel?" Tina asked, and almost swore Schue visibly relaxed at her voice.

"Not asking, ordering. This is your task, your final test. You said you were getting bored going through the archives," he glanced at her and then over Kurt who was studying the wall intently. "Think of this as opportunity to use your skills in an applied manner. You might even get to storm a castle."

"Oh," Kurt remarked dryly, "joy."

Mercedes had negotiated the terms with King Figgins when she went to file her report on the state of the northern duchies. Kurt researched their first stop learning of Rachel's last known location, and Tina cleaned up the place she called home for the past three years.

Unlike her friends who left things behind, Tina couldn't afford to leave a slightest trace of herself behind, not trusting even a broken pencil unable to be used as a detector to find her again. With her books under her arms, she washed the room in cleansing magic hoping their quest would be engaging as Schue talked it up to be.

Their first stop was the former residences that Rachel had once stayed at, including her family home. None told them much of anything, although her fathers were more than eager to half them walk through what Kurt caustically called the 'Living Tomb of Rachel Berry'.

It was there in the town of Lima, they caught up with a letter from Schue containing a map to the cave thought to be the site of one of the location of one of Rachel's practice circles. When they left exhausted and empty-handed, further examination of the map revealed it to be not only ten years out of date, but was misread completely.

Kurt wouldn't own up to, no matter how many snide remarks Mercedes made at delaying them. But as Tina studied the map, she saw overlaid it a misdirection spell. She could barely see it, but couldn't break. For a moment she thought of bringing it up when a fireball hit the map.

"Let's get into town," Kurt grumbled as Tina blew the ashes away from herself. "I don't want to stay out here any longer."

* * *

It had started raining not long after they left the cave. A slow steady drizzle that along with the early spring chill drove them towards an inn.

Kurt sneered at the décor of the inn, but didn't say a word as he usually would as he flounced over to innkeeper. It was far too late in the evening and all three of them where more than willing to put latest failure behind them.

Ignoring the looks they got for ordering one room for the three of them, they settled in taking in a night, falling on to their beds with little conversation.

That night Tina dreamed for the first time in ages. Her dreams were filled colored smoke rising in the air as fireworks filled the night sky. She was on a boat, and someone was next her, but the face was obscured in the dream as the environment kept shifting around. First to mountains, to the sea, to hills and to a castle. She broke free of the dream, too late to fix the damage, and too soon to find out the reason why she dreamed of in the first place.

Panting, Tina laid in bed listening to her friends' soft snores around her too shaken to fall asleep again.

Unable to remain still for much longer, Tina threw off her covers and nearly tripped. Kurt was sprawled out on the floor like an overgrown puppy, and twitched like one too as he dreamed.

She stepped over him grabbing her knives on the nightstand. Carefully opening the window she climbed out on to the rooftop. With the faint beams on dawn on her shoulders, she struck invisible opponent with her knives calming her nerves by moving too much to let her thoughts compound.

Tiger. Heron. Snake. Koi.

The forms ran through her mind as she spun and turned along the rooftop. Four elements. Four forms. Mercedes and Kurt may say she was obsessed with getting a water talent in the group, but it was her dream every since she learned their affinities were their primary strengths. It was been even, balanced, and maybe even the extra person could buffer their equally fierce tempers of the duo.

As she step backwards, she slipped on the slick tiles. Flipping over she managed to stop from falling off, but as Tina panted on the rooftop, the sunlight on her neck, she realized it was probably about time to go back inside.

Swinging back inside through the window she quickly changed in to clean clothes, then went to the task of waking her friends up.

Tina nudged Kurt gently with her foot.

"Wake up, time to head out."

Mercedes was harder to wake as she wouldn't budge until Kurt lit a fire underneath her. Tina fluttered out the way as Mercedes reached out the strangle him, her yells were enough to rattle the foundation.

As they trooped out, they passed the innkeeper was on the ground sweeping up shattered pottery, muttering about earthshakers.

She was still a bit sleepy, but even still the prickle that passed over her senses to make her stop as they walked through the streets.

It was weak and fleetingly and she paid it no mind at first, but it grew the longer they walked and the worries Tina had about her dreams last night resurfaced. She wasn't dreaming that long for her location to be found?

Mercedes and Kurt were in deep conversation about where to go next. They had papers to pass through unbothered, but they already lost so much time to begin with, and Mercedes was against staying here longer than needed.

"We need to buy supplies, and you're going to buy more than that. I remember the last time we went to a town in the area and we came home with a peacock."

Tina tuned their bickering out anticipating them to blow up smoke for a while. Staring out in the crowded marketplace for whoever had rattled her senses, and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Soldiers in the red and white uniforms of the Cherrio guard parted the crowd as they patrolled, vendors sold items to customers, and a few children ran about.

"So it's decided," Kurt said clapping his hands, "I'm going to send a wire to Schue and give an update on our quest."

"You do that," Mercedes said briskly, "and we'll be seeing if they have food your sensitive stomach can handle."

Mercedes stalked off into the street shoving people out the way as she disappeared.

Tina turned to Kurt. "What did you do?"

He had glanced down at his nails. "We disagreed, that's all. Do you have a message for Schue?"

Tina shook her head.

"Then I'll be off."

_Here we go again._ Tina thought watching Kurt leave severely doubting he'll go to check the post. Once again they had this little tiff going, something that was happening more often these days ever since they've been sent on this quest. She suspected there was a good reason for the occasional flare up, but it was starting to wear on her nerves. It might be over minor stuff about whose turn it was to cook or who got to scare the nine lives out of the bandits on their tail, but it happened enough that she was starting to worry not just about the dynamics of their team but of their friendship.

The prickle between her shoulders appeared again, stronger this time and she recognized the familiar touch. Tina didn't even bother turning around and simply ran through the streets. She pushed crowds, jostling people aside as she ran past store and vendors alike. Eventually she'll make her way back to post office in case Schue had left a message for them but at the moment she was eager to shake the mark on her.

Sliding through the residential streets, she jumped over a garden fence and whistled a soft tune. The magic took and she floated over an old man in the middle of mediation, easily clearing the garden fence. Letting the air current gently glide her over a few streets, the prickle faded until it vanished completely.

Landing outside a bookstore, she dusted off her clothes bumping straight into a person exiting the shop. Boxes flew around, but her instincts kicked in, and instead of hitting the boxes were frozen suspended in the air around them.

"That's amazing."

Tina looked over to see a man around her age sprawled on the grown next to her, his eyes were round behind his glasses as they darted back and forth between the floating packages. "Is it a blanket or individual spell?"

Tina blinked and the boxes fell around them. He flinched as one of the boxes hit his foot.

"S-ssorry!" Tina stuttered trying to grab the boxes.

"It's fine." Picking up the staff next to him he slowly to his feet, and tapped the box closest to his foot. It as well as its companions stacked on top of each other swiftly and silently. With his free hand he snapped his fingers and the stacks of boxes followed him like an eager puppy.

Tina snapped out of her daze and quickly fell into step with him all the road.

"How did you do that, I haven't seen that type of spell before."

"It's a charm-" he said looking over at her startled. She recalled the same look on Mercedes's face when she realized Tina had followed her all the way to the capital city. "A rather simple one."

"I fairly adept with elemental magics," Tina said as way of explanation, "mostly those channeled through Glee. This is a different sort of magic."

"You heard of kinetics magic…..?"

"Tina." She supplied with an encouraging smile.

"Artie," he said without pause, "kinetic magic involve motion, closely tied to motion and martial arts. This is organology combines principles of both Glee and kinetics." As Tina nodded along he added, "You don't seem quite familiar with it."

"I'm not from around here," Tina replied, "I probably know it under a different name."

"I noticed," he said and then blanched as Tina made a face, "I mean, I've been here for a while and I hadn't meet any-" he swallowed hard, and cleared his throat. "You're from one of the Nomadic Clans in the north aren't you? Not many leave the clans from what I heard, which isn't much."

Tina steeled herself wondering if he would guess more, but he seemed satisfied with the answer.

"Here to learn much about magic?" he asked with small smile.

Tina nodded again.

"It's odd. I'm not much of a teacher."

"I wasn't asking you to teach me."

One of the packages hit him on the back of his head. "Well it's just well enough, I'm just -

A sharp whistle filled the air, a whistle they had practiced to recognize.

"Kurt!" Tina hissed as she started running towards the source of the sound.

"A friend of yours?" Artie called after her.

"He's always getting into trouble," Tina muttered as she waved, not bothering to turn around, "goodbye!"

Tina ran through the streets not caring who she knocked over in her haste. Kurt had the tendency to attract trouble most of it he could handle, but he never whistled unless it was dire trouble.

As the sight of a burst a fire hit a fruit booth some distance away, Tina jumped up whistling a tune under her breath as she pulled her knives out as she leapt on top of shop. She slid along the rooftop grabbing hold of a sign post to slow her descent, and peered out into the courtyard below her.

As usual Kurt had a sword to his throat though this time he managed to pull out one of the sai swords for a change. Around him were a variety of men and women, some who looked drunk and others that appeared just plain mean as the curse making signs against evil at them. Luckily there was not a red and white uniform in sight. That made the odds of this turning out how she wanted much better.

Jumping into the courtyard, she spun around in a small a circle cutting up the few goons that were around Kurt. The yells distracted the man Kurt was fighting off, and he managed to light a fire under his feet. Tina ducked back as the man jumped back and caught his sword with her pair of knives.

Smirking, she kicked him squarely in the chest, and Kurt followed up with a high kick of his own.

"Behind you!" Kurt called out.

Tina spun too late at the man coming at her. But the ground rippled upwards sending the assailant sailing into the air. Tina whistled and the man flew in a different direction flying though the open door of restaurant.

"You're late," Tina called pleasantly to Mercedes as she stomped her way through the crowd of shoppers, the ground shifting under her feet like giant fists as she made her way..

"I was buying ginko beans," she returned, twirling her hammer and hitting a person that was coming her way.

Tina jumped over her knocking over the women charging at them. "I hate ginko beans why couldn't you get something else?"

Mercedes rolled her eyes, as Tina dusted her hands off. She kicked the ground sending the few that remain buckling head over heels.

"They were on sale."

Tina sheathed her blades as Kurt stumbled up to them his nose bleeding. "Are you alright?" she asked before he could say word about the beans.

"You idiot," Mercedes chastised as she began to dab his face, "what did you do?"

Kurt flinched at her touch. She ignored him and kept her hand in place humming the spell. Mercedes's affinity with healing was as gentle as her bedside manner. "Someone saw something funny on my face."

"Are you sure," Tina asked, "they look like a bunch of drunks you started a fight with…"

The clink of a sword caught her attention, and she turned to slow to meet the challenge, but there was no need. The man slide on a patch of ice, and cracked his head so surely that there was no fear of him getting up anytime soon.

From the fringes of the dispersing crowd she caught sight of Artie in the shadow of shop at the edge, leaning heavily on his staff as his packages floated next to him. He waved at her, before he turned disappearing from sight.

* * *

"Rachel could be anywhere," Tina moaned as she marked numbers on the map, coding the places they have traveled through, "she might not be in the kingdom anymore."

"We thought of that possibility at first," Kurt said, "and it's nothing different from what Schue told us. It's just the chances of success are much smaller."

"You could go back," Mercedes pointed out acidly as they sat in the tavern. She tapped her fingers on the table ignoring the dirty looks the innkeeper was giving them for not ordering any drinks. "If I have to hear you complain one more time about moisturizers…"

"I have a delicate complexion," Kurt said stiffly and Tina closed her eyes, not having the energy to stop it from happening again, "and you should think about the effects of travel in this weather, your hair's atrocious."

Tina picked up the map, as the table rocked into Kurt's chest. He choked, his face turning purple as he tried to kick her from the underside.

There was ratting going on as the table was shoved back and forth, but no singing as Tina took the time to realize just exactly where they were.

"Hey, Kurt, do you remember that creepy guy that stalked Rachel?"

* * *

"I can't believe I'm listening to you," Mercedes grumbled as the pulled the dress over her head. "Why am I the one who has to talk to him?"

"Because he hadn't met you," Tina said frankly, "and you have the exotic factor going on."

Mercedes snorted, "This whole town is lily white."

"Never mind that," Tina said gesturing, "pull your bodice down lower, Kurt has a wrap for you to use."

"Sweet Cheesus," Mercedes said catching sight of herself in the mirror, "I look like a hooker."

"A tasteful one," Tina replied.

"If he touches me," Mercedes said gripping the air where her hammer usually hung, "he's getting a taste of chocolate thunder."

A knock came at the door. "Are you done?" Kurt drawled, "I'm getting odd stares." He poked his head in, his eyes respectively closed, "It doesn't matter if I look at you know."

Tina shrugged and Mercedes rolled her eyes, "you can come in."

Kurt followed in suit and his face fell when he saw her. "That color doesn't suit you at all." He clucked reprovingly. "Let's see what I have." He shut the door behind him and crisply picked his bag up.

Tina was fairly certain there was some kind of enlargement charm on it, given she had once seen him pull out a trunk, but her any comment she was about to make was cut short as Kurt pulled a wand out.

"You don't know illusionary magic," Tina laughed, as Kurt turned it over in his hands. "You're just elemental with a side of mecha."

"I got it from a tiny blond woman," Kurt said gesturing for Mercedes to stand in the center of the room. "Fairy godmother patented and everything."

"Fairy godmothers are just witches with fancy titles and cards," Mercedes grumbled.

"Don't talk," Kurt raised his arms, his eyes gleaming, "I'm going to turn your frock into a ball gown."

Tina wasn't surprised for all the waving of arms he did that nothing happened, she was just surprised Kurt believed it would.

She tried to keep a straight face as the more he waved the wand, but between Mercedes's looks of growing annoyance and Kurt's growing frustration, the first giggle slipped out opened floodgates and she slid off the bed to the floor convulsing with laughter.

Banished from the room, Tina crept downstairs to find more use of her time.

She found the front room mostly empty except of the innkeeper who sat behind her desk fingering through a book.

"I wonder if you could help me?" Tina asked drawing attention to herself, "I'm looking for the former reporter to the Titan Daily, a man that goes by the name Jacob?"

"You want to find him?" the overly plump innkeeper said closing her book, her scowl only deepening, "what's your interest?"

"Looking for someone." Tina replied.

"Everyone is looking for someone, and looking for Ben Israel." The innkeeper sniffed as she looked over Tina pointedly, "he knows everyone and everything, too important."

Tina leaned forward meeting the woman's beady gaze. "He has to have a contact to get information, and I think he might have an interest in this particular person, or should I say enchantress."

The innkeeper's wheezy breath had stopped, "you mean her."

"Yes," Tina said more firmly than she felt. "Her. If you tell me where he is, we can help both of us out. "

The innkeeper spilled the details and soon enough (and with a lighter wallet) Tina was escorting Mercedes through the labyrinth of streets.

She was still wearing the dress that they had found in her bag, and Kurt was lurking behind, looking none too pleased at his failed experiment.

"Just remember, keep him focused on the target and don't let on we know less than he is, and if he asks-"

"Please," Mercedes interrupted, expertly adjusting her clothes, "I can take care of myself."

"Just don't kill him," Tina cautioned.

Mercedes waved a hand and knocked on the door. After a few moments she was hastily allowed entrance.

"I hate this," Kurt muttered coming next to Tina, his eyes narrowed at the shady shop. "You two shouldn't have to do that to get leads."

"Well you should try next time," Tina said slyly, "I'm sure these are people of different persuasions."

Kurt cut his eyes at her, but didn't protest, the muscle in his jaw jumping up every so often.

When he got like this she knew any attempt to persuade him otherwise would fall flat. Kurt for all his indifference cared more than he was willing to admit.

The door slammed open, and Mercedes emerged in triumph clutching a piece of paper. "I got it, time to go."

"We don't need to rush," Tina said as Mercedes grabbed her by the arm.

The reason became clear as the door opened up, as a crossed eye man with a puff of hair stumbled out not discreetly adjusting his pants.

"Come back, my love, my chocolate angel-"

Kurt almost turned around, but both Mercedes and Tina shoved him on.

* * *

"Rachel was last seen in Carmel," Mercedes said as Tina pulled the map out.

"That's a few weeks south from here," she muttered.

"A few days by train," Kurt added, "but don't forget the border is guarded by soulless automatons, it's not going to be easy to get throw and how do we know Lady Lark is still there?"

"Until he has sources that state otherwise." Tina said primly. She gestured to the medallion that they were given. "The King himself gave us these, for funds and help to those loyal to the crown we can be set for years."

"Don't say years," Mercedes retorted, "we have to get over with as soon as possible. I got things I want to do with my life."

"But nothing nearly as challenging."

Tina frowned getting passed Carmel's soulless automatons was like poking a dragon in the eye. Unlike the Cherrios that made up McKinley elite guard, Carmel's guards were all magic users and highly synchronize ones as well. While they could exploit the weakness in the guard, Carmel's automatons would take some work. It made sense Rachel would disappear behind that wall of magic, and if it wasn't for the urgency of their quest Tina would be having second thoughts.

"So," Kurt asked, "what are we going to do?"

"See if Schue left us a wire," Tina said, "buy supplies that don't include ginko beans, and from there who knows."


	2. Picking up a Package

[2]

* * *

"That sparkles!" Tina said as she slammed the device on the booth.

"Sparkles because he actually picked up or he actually has good advice?" Kurt drawled as he studied his nails.

"Both," Tina retorted.

Mercedes knocked on the booth's door.

"What's going on?" she asked urgently, "what did he say?"

"Schue wants us to pick up a package from a friend of his." Tina said as Kurt frowned.

"What kind of package?"

"Nothing dangerous," Tina said tugging her hair, "although he does say that about a lot of things. But it's a bookshop so it can't be that bad."

Kurt and Mercedes exchanged glances. "Lead on."

Looking at the address she written down, they followed the signs leaving the ramshackle house and shops for old fashion architecture with quaint sloped rooftops and fancy brickwork. The further she went however she had faint sense of déjà vu as there was something particularly familiar about the route.

"Here we are," Tina said, stopping front a quaint little shop with a sign written in neat handwriting, "_There's a Book for That_".

"Lovely," Kurt muttered as he opened the door, the tinkle of the bell alerting their entrance, "a bookshop."

Tina trailed in after them, but her eyes were taken with the series of books on the sleeves. Picking up one she read:

"Radon: The Silent Killer"

What an odd book. She was flipping though it when a voice caught her attention.

"I was expecting you." A petite red haired woman stood by the counter, a feather duster poking out her apron. She was dressed bright coordinating colors that made Kurt's approval as he nodded after taking a second glance at her shoes. "I'm Emma Pillsbury."

"Schue sent you a letter?" Mercedes asked.

"Oh no, he usually doesn't," the bookkeeper said with a bright smile, "He mentioned his students were on quest and I summoned you here. I hope you don't mind," she added oblivious to the looks Kurt and Mercedes were exchanging.

The bookkeeper waved the feather duster around and the books stacked on the counter zoomed around to their proper places. Tina jumped as one politely coughed before joining its companions. "You're welcomed to read it just make sure you put it back. My assistant just alphabetized them by author and color." She smiled as Tina shut the book almost shoving back on the shelf. "What'll you'll need is in the back."

Nodding at her, Mercedes and Kurt followed Ms. Pillsbury into the back, leaving her surrounded with a stack of books.

Idly Tina ran her fingers along the titles. It had been far too long since she had book to read. Although she had learned how to read Common to be able to decipher maps and labels, she had yet to read a lengthy novel as she did back home.

The thought of home made her flinch for a moment as she fought back the memories of what caused her to leave.

"If you're looking for light reading there's always the _Chronic Lady_, it's a swashbuckler."

This time Tina truly jumped bumping into the bookshelf, but luckily the shelf was so weighed down by books it didn't even budge.

As she turned her head to see the source of the intruding voice, she found her facing a vaguely familiar face across the shop.

"Sorry," he said pushing his glasses up with one hand as he shifted the box of books in his arms. "It's you again," Artie gestured wildly at one of the stacks, "the books of magic are over there."

He disappeared once again into the backroom, leaving quickly as he came. Tina replaced the book in her hand and continued to look around the rest of the shop with even more interest than before.

She moved purposely to the stack Artie had gestured to and stared it down. While many of the books were quite unusual in both title and subject matter, Tina couldn't help but think with there was more. Books as she knew from experience hid more than they revealed. No one looked at books and there were far too many unusual titles for them to be just here. Real bookshops didn't hold such novelty titles. They had thick histories, and long sagas, and their shopkeepers were definitely not witches. But that was clearly what Ms. Pillsbury was given by the careless way she waved the feather duster around and given that Artie was here.

Picking up the title Artie and recommended, Tina discreetly began to look behind the books, and a pulled out a smaller palm size novel that despite its lack of title revealed exactly what it was by the pentagram engraved in it.

"It was very nice of you to come by. Can't you stay for the night? It's the least I can do for summoning you so."

Tina quickly shoved the smaller book in her bag, and replaced the other on the shelf as the voices grew nearer.

The witch masquerading as a bookkeeper smiled over at Tina, as her friends entered behind her. "Did you see anything you like? You can take them without cost since you're Will's student."

"No need," Tina said shaking her head, the small book burning a hole in her bag "I didn't see anything interesting."

"Artie," Ms. Pillsbury said reprovingly to her assistant. He had reappeared at the door, a notepad in hand, "when there are customers you need to interact with them."

He frowned pushing his glasses up, "you said because we hardly ever have customers that you wanted me to rearrange-"

"What would you like for dinner?" Ms. Pillsbury interrupted clapping her hands, "I love having company over!"

Behind her, Artie leaned against the doorway turning over a page in the pad priming himself to write.

"We'll have lamb, or maybe goose, unless you don't eat meat, which I can perfectly see since I don't eat beef-"

"Goose is on sale," Artie interrupted quietly, "and won't take that long to dress."

"I'm so glad I bought that new tablecloth, it's the exact shade of periwinkle as my curtains," Ms. Pillsbury added, "oh and since you're staying the night the guest rooms will be made up."

"Actually-" Tina started but Kurt stepped on her foot.

"Thank you very much for your kind offer."

As Ms. Pillsbury gave her assistant further instructions on what to get from market and how to prepare the house, Tina pulled her friends back into a more discreet corner.

"What are you doing, didn't you just say you didn't want to stay too long?"

"It's free food and board," Mercedes interjected, "I'm not arguing that."

Tina crossed her arms looking between the pair. Mercedes was meeting her gaze, while Kurt as looking off at the books, mouthing some title.

"What happened in the backroom, what did you learn? What did she give you?"

"This and that," Kurt said airily.

"There some serious twat going on," Mercedes confided, "She's a Witch."

"I knew that," Tina said offended. She was the one who had to constantly remind them what they can and can do due to the elemental typologies.

"Not just a witch," Kurt added, "a Witch, as in one of the Four. The Good Witch of the South."

Tina slowly felt her patience draining. "The Good Witch of the South owns a bookshop, and," Tina watched as their bubbly hostess absently wiped clean a doorknob before entering, "is neat enough to be cursed?"

"I know people," Kurt said, "and I know people who know people. I met the Good Witch of the North-"

"Who gave you a dodgy wand," Mercedes interjected.

"And I'm fairly certain she's the one for the South, despite the fact she's not in her domain. Schue knows all the witches personally."

Tina laughed, "When you say it like that you make it sound like he's some kind of Casanova."

Kurt quirked his eyebrow, and didn't answer her letting his silence answer her questions.

* * *

Dinner was a pleasant affair, and over roasted goose and various foods that Tina was vaguely familiar with. She was struck however by the fact none of the food was touching on the plates as if there was invisible barrier locking even the most liquid of foods in place. She tempted almost to test it, but given the glare Kurt gave her decided against it.

Ms. Pillsbury chattered on, so much that they needn't interject too much into the conversation. Tina did however notice that Artie didn't join him despite Ms. Pillsbury trying to convince him.

He claimed he had to finish up the setting up the rooms, but Tina thought there was some else, given how he walking gingerly around the room with the staff as he went up the stairs.

"Your assistant," she asked Ms. Pillsbury as she placed dessert on the table, "he didn't stay."

"He tries to stay busy," Ms. Pillsbury said at once, "He lost him memory some time ago, and he's staying with me until he gets some of it back." She smiled brightly in a way that put an end to the conversation.

"How do you know the Grand Vizier?" Tina persisted, ignoring her friends looks as Ms. Pillsbury's expression melted into bliss.

"From a long time ago. I helped him when word got loose someone was shipping drugs across the border."

"The Vitamin D scandal?" Kurt said impressed.

"Vitamin D?" Mercedes asked.

"You didn't hear?" Kurt said surprised, he leaned back in his chair, reveling in being the keeper of the tale. "It raises the performance ability on those who take it. It has a particular effect on magic users creating great power but damages the body along the way."

"It's contraband," Ms. Pillsbury replied, "because of the other kingdoms strong in the powers of Glee. Particularly Carmel."

"You knew?" Mercedes said.

Ms. Pillsbury nodded resting her chin on her hands, "I knew the moment you stepped in. It's very dangerous at the border, I'm surprised Will set you on quest during this time with that distasteful Sylvester trying to change things."

"We're more than competent," Mercedes said as Kurt added:

"We're just dead weight anyway."

"Explain," Ms. Pillsbury said through the awkward silence.

"Schue has a very focused idea of how he wants to use magic in the kingdom," Tina said quickly.

Kurt scoffed, "that's putting it generously." As he spoke, Artie reappeared taking the plates of the table, going one by one trying not to let his feet drag. "Schue wants us to find Rachel Berry, the most powerful enchantress McKinley had ever produced. Her skills apparently is greater than the three of us combined and making her ideal not just protect the king, but save the kingdom from whatever forces of evil that decides to bully us.

"Actually Schue's designs are around neutral magic," Tina persisted. "From what I read in his notes, Rachel has an affinity with neutral and we're too unbalanced with elemental, if we had water affinity on our side we would have to…"

"This Vitamin D stuff," Mercedes interrupted hastily, "it hadn't happened long ago?"

"About four years ago, but still it's quite the news," Ms. Pillsbury said, "given with what happened with Ryerson it's enough to motivate Will to do something."

"And what would that be?"

Ms. Pillsbury eyes widened even more if it was possible, "to look at internal politics. Black markets. Wizard mercenaries. Foolhardy youths."

"Or decimate their magicians, and lessen the need for McKinley to have their own," Mercedes whispered. "This stuff kills too doesn't it?"

"All it has is the potential for trouble," Kurt said thoughtfully, "but anyway it'll make the magic users look bad and push for a focus on full militia support, even if it already didn't have it. And don't forget anti-magic bill in the works. Sylvester can benefit a lot from that. It's like slicing the apple fully with one cut, genius."

"Not necessarily, it might make the army vulnerable to attack."

They all looked up at Ms. Pillsbury's assistant, who turned and quickly apologized taking the dirty dishes out the room.

Ms. Pillsbury placed her folded napkin on the table and rose to her feet. "I'll show you where you'll be spending the night."

Mercedes went straight to bed, citing she was going to take as much advantage as she could about the bed. She was such a sound sleeper it was no surprise to Tina that it was not very long until her friend started muttering about colorful zebras. After listening to the diatribe that went on for some time, Tina turned the light back on.

Ms Pillsbury had given them a farseer. It didn't appear to be enchanted at all, as neither her initial probing spells yield results, not even when she foolhardily held it up to her eye.

Sighing, she tucked it away just as she heard a knock on the door.

Meeting Kurt on the landing, she folded her arms watching as he paced a bit.

"Her assistant looks familiar," Kurt blurted out.

Tina blinked. "You know lots of people though."

Kurt waved his hands not even meaning the gestured as he brushed his hair back. "You weren't looking. He walks funny, talks weird, and dresses like an old man. There aren't many people around like that."

"Again with the clothes," Tina joked and when Kurt failed to crack a smile she asked, "what's really bothering you? Who does he remind you of?"

Kurt shook his head. "I don't know. I'm going to get some fresh air."

He swept down the stairs, and Tina followed hesitantly after him to the dimly lit main floor. Even though the door gently slammed after him, Tina hesitated as she heard a crash behind her.

The doors to the kitchen where slightly ajar and water pooled out to the carpet only to be retracted at the last moment.

Tina pushed opened the door to see Artie tossing the pot back into the sink while a water ball hovered over his head. He whistled softly to himself as he guided the water slowly back into the sink.

"I knew it! It was you who slipped up those goons!"

The water bubble popped over his head, and he slipped grabbing onto the counter.

"Sorry," She said, "can I help-"

But he shook his head, "It's just water," he said looking at his wet sleeve, looking at her unblinkingly, "you're hair's blue. Mostly that is."

Absently, Tina touched the blue streaks in her hair, realizing her hair had fallen from her customary bun. As a hereditary symbol of her clan that no amount of dye could hide, Tina had taken to painstakingly arranging her hair to hide the streaks to better protect her identity. For a moment she panicked wondering if Kurt had noticed, hopefully had been too agitated and the hall too dark.

"It's nice, your hair I mean."

Tina's lips twitched a bit into a smile, until she caught herself. "You hung around when we're talking about Glee," Tina said as she quickly put her hair back up, "I think you know something."

"Not really." He pulled up a stool, and picked up the staff resting against the counter and began to twirl it. "I don't really remember much of anything before I arrived here. But I do remember," he stopped spinning the staff pointed an end at her, "you took a book from the shop." Tina stiffened, "I was reading that one. Have you started it yet?"

As Artie smiled, Tina slumped in relief.

"You're not going to tell Ms. Pillsbury?"

"She wouldn't notice. She actually has been sending them out."

"Where?"

He shrugged.

"You don't know do you?" Tina asked.

He didn't say anything and they settled in the silence that he seemed not inclined to break. In an effort to get conversation started at again she looked down at the slightly damp floor.

"Can you sing?" Tina asked in a rush, "you were doing water magic."

He stopped spinning the staff once again, his expression hard to read. "I'm familiar with the Power of Glee, but shouldn't you ask the others if you wanted to add a fourth member first?" Artie asked gesturing with the staff.

Tina spun around to see Mercedes standing in the doorway, her face set in an unreadable expression.

"Excuse me," Tina muttered as she went out to hall.

The door wasn't slid shut when Mercedes went off.

"What did you tell you Kurt? He woke me up!" she hissed

"Nothing, he's acting odd, like he has secrets."

"We all have secrets, but don't start him up on something. I'm not a happy sleeper. Besides," she added glancing at the kitchen, "what are you doing down here are you that desperate to recruit someone?"

"I'm not desperate," Tina said quickly, "I saw him manipulate the water, he could round out group. Not to mention he seems to know about other sources of magic-"

Mercedes wasn't impressed. Her eyebrow lifted up the same way she had when Kurt revealed what he spent his portion of his share of the money on an exotic feather boa. "You said that with the juggler."

"I did."

"The dishwasher."

"I know."

"And the homeless man-"

"I know Mercedes!" Tina interrupted before her friend could add anything else, "but I have a good feeling about this. You and Kurt were saying Ms. Pillsbury is the Good Witch of the South. If she's that good with magic certainly she would have other motivations for taking him in?"

"Can he sing?"

Tina hesitated. Mercedes grinned impishly as she dragged her back into kitchen. "Let's find out."

Artie was still seated on the stool and didn't look to surprise when Mercedes asked him about magic.

Tina just stood back and let Mercedes plow on, as she gave him the summary of their quest and the problems their group faced having three elements that were unbalanced. As Mercedes talked, Tina just watched for Artie's reactions and a suspicion began to form that he might have been stretching the truth about not being from McKinley, or anywhere it seemed on the continent.

"You never heard about the Cherrios?" Mercedes said slowly, "have you been living under a rock?"

"Actually," he began only to stop, rubbing his neck. "I don't remember."

Tina opened her mouth to intervene when Mercedes said instead, "If you don't remember that, then it's pointless to tell you to sing something." She began to snap her fingers to a beat, "repeat back what I'm going to sing, alright?"

She began and Tina's felt the usual rush of power whenever Mercedes sang, but it was purposely toned down as she sang quietly to not to rattle the pots.

Without waiting for the indication to start, Artie sung back the verses.

Tina would like to stay to say the pipes bursts, or Mercedes was shocked enough to stop snapping, but the truth was that his more than serviceable baritone wasn't a shock but felt a like puzzle piece falling into place. It felt right, elemental compatibility aside. Seamlessly she joined into the song, twisting the magical structure into a lock, acting as a barrier to earth and water magic streaming about.

Mercedes was smiling as she kept singing, the exercise long turn into something else, that smile enough to seal the deal.

"I feel like I'm being left out."

Or not.

Kurt was in the doorway, and although he wasn't aiming an arrow at any of them the look of he was giving them was sharp enough.

"It seems like he has an affinity with water." Mercedes said quickly.

"I heard." Kurt narrowed his eyes at Artie. "What's wrong with your legs?"

"Kurt!"

"It's a perfectly good question," Kurt said nonplussed. "He'll be traveling with us, and I don't like horses, one once mistook my cashmere sweater for hay." He shook him looking down at Artie, "So?"

Artie obliged him, hopping off the stool, holding both hands up as well as the staff in his left, "I can't dance without tripping over my feet, but I won't slow you down. You don't sound much in a rush to find this Rachel person anyway."

"She's the definition of a Diva but by Gaga, she's talented," Kurt grumbled.

Artie sat back down, and Tina was certain she was only one who say him grab onto the stool a bit tighter than he needed to.

"Why did she make herself so hard to be found?" Artie asked.

"A few years ago," Kurt began, "Schue brought in new students, including the Duke of Hudson, Lady Fabray. Rachel, well she fell for the Duke despite her being the daughter of Berry harvesters. Magic doesn't really matter to nobility."

"Love triangle," Artie said with a laugh.

"Love square," Mercedes corrected, "the Duke's had a knight companion that might have hooked up with one or both of them."

"Probably both, wouldn't put it pass him, "Kurt remarked.

"Why didn't I hear about this?" Tina asked.

"Do you even care about it?" Kurt pointed out.

"No, but the way you're throwing their titles makes it sound like you know better than you said you did."

Kurt's eyes darted away, "I'm just a gossip."

"They did always talk to you in a very familiar way," Mercedes said thoughtfully.

"The Duke of Hudson is a very powerful name," Kurt said firmly, "everyone knows it."

"I don't." Artie said raising a hand.

Kurt rolled his eyes, "you don't count-"

"Artie."

"Right," Kurt said breezily, "we'll leave in the morning. Ms. Pillsbury told me to expect an addition to travel party soon, so you must be it. Pack and be prepared to leave. If you have any more of those sweater vests I will burn them."

As Kurt flounced out, Mercedes added good naturally, "he will too, his element if fire."

"You're earth," Artie said gesturing to her and then turning to Tina, "and you're air."

They nodded.

"That's very interesting," Artie said thoughtfully, "I read a book on elemental theory. This could be fun."

Tina perked up, "by which author? Because there is some that don't have a clue about what they're talking about."

Behind her, Tina heard Mercedes chuckle, "looks like he'll fit in just fine."


	3. The Past Returns

[3]

* * *

"And look at this diagram," Tina said holding the book up to Artie's face, as they walked down the dirt road, "It's completely different from the by Sir Cartnie."

"Well the music theory changed after Lenan died testing the limits of the design." Artie held out of the other book spread on the ground, "look how it changed afterwards. It definitely left a mark."

"It's going to leave a mark in my eyes," Kurt grumbled. He and Mercedes were some ways ahead already at the top of the hill, while they trailed behind. "You talk about theory over meals, by the fire, over beer, can't you just stop while we're traveling!"

"No," Tina retorted, "it's supposed to help with his memory, magic's probably a keystone."

"I have no idea what it means," Kurt said, "but you-"

"Let's take a break," Mercedes said grabbing hold of Kurt's arm, gripping it tight, "We should take it."

They settled on top of the hill, with Tina and Artie still comparing notes.

Silence fell over the group as Kurt arranged the wood for a fire when Artie asked:

"We should try doing a together and see how our magic work together."

"All four of us?" Mercedes asked lethargically. "What do you think Kurt?"

Kurt looked at Artie's earnest expression and barely and didn't even try to hide the scorn on his face.

"No." He said before lighting the fire. "Don't even bother begging, the answer is no."

"All four elements," Tina interjected quickly, "think of the spells we could do, overlaying cadences, elemental unity-"

"There's a reason I said no to the puppeteers, ballerinas, and street sweepers," Kurt grumbled to Mercedes. "She keeps going about this!"

Tina turned begging eyes towards Mercedes her grudgingly interjected "It wouldn't hurt to at least try it out, she'll stop asking then."

Tina made a noise of protest, but otherwise rather pleased as she sat back down around the fire.

On the road from town, she and Artie had talked the building blocks of elemental theory, mostly due to her expertise and his missing chunks of memory. One spell that came from the book she had taken from Ms Pillsbury's bookshop was a ward built from elemental power.

"The ward draws from nature so it's not bound to a token that can be lost." Artie explained to their skeptic companions. "It can be adjusted to ward against attacks or rain. It's like a moving tarp."

"Umbrella," Tina corrected.

"I don't I like the idea of that," Kurt muttered. "But," he added as Tina opened her mouth, "Let's try this. What do we need to do?"

"Summon the power into your hand-"

The ball of blue light flew out of his hand, and fluttered out of control around them until it struck a squirrel giving it wings.

Mercedes jumped to her feet and began to cross her chest, as Kurt turned ashen watching the squirrel test out its new wings.

"Wrong spell," Artie said sheepishly, as Tina closed her eyes. "We can try again."

Kurt and Mercedes's protests were enough to shake the leaves off the tree above them.

"It was just a joke," he said weakly.

"If something explodes in my face, "Mercedes snapped, "I won't think it's a joke!"

Kurt nodded as he reached for his arrows, and knife.

Tina looked at the growing tension and realized she had to curtail this at once if they weren't going to change their minds about letting Artie come with them.

"I was wondering about where we go next," she said pulling the map out her page. "This is the border," Tina said drawing a line with her finger on the map, "so we can either go through the forest which will take three day to cross or the mountains that will take five."

"Which one will be quicker?" Artie asked.

"The mountains."

"But you said it took five."

"She means not the land we'll face." Kurt sat down next to them, sharpening the end of his arrow. "Carmel's got a stronger border, and their new captain is certain no one without passes gets through."

Artie nodded as he sat back leaning against the tree trunk. "That's what you meant by it being trouble. Why didn't you get passes?"

Displeased, Kurt whistled a note a tiny flame appeared on his thumb. "Carmel doesn't allow anyone that's a magic user entrance unless you're willingly to change your allegiance."

"That's extreme," Artie remarked as Kurt blew the flame away.

"You haven't been in Carmel."

"Like you have," Mercedes retorted.

"I have another question, the package you got from Ms. Pillsbury," Artie asked, "would that help at all crossing the border?"

Kurt laughed, "If we want to stare them down."

"It's a farseer," Tina said taking it out of her bag, "and far as I can tell it doesn't have any enchantments on it. "Unless you have better luck."

"No, don't let-" Mercedes rolled her eyes, as Artie turned the farseer over in his hands, "never mind."

"It appears normal, and there isn't anything unusual." Kurt discreetly began to move aside as Artie unscrewed the cap over the eyepiece.

"Oh." He said dumping the contents into his hand.

"Is it a note?" Tina asked moving to his side, "or a jewel that contains a power source?"

"Nothing." Artie held up a piece of a mirror that cast bright spots of light on his face as he moved it back and forth. "Apparently it's broken."

"Not surprised by that," Kurt remarked, as Tina sighed a bit. "Good thing it didn't explode- ow," Kurt glowered at Mercedes, "that was my head!"

"Sorry," Mercedes stood up one hand on her hip. "I thought we were just taking short break? It looks like we're settling in for the night."

Tina rolled up the map. "It's already late and by the time Kurt finishes sharpening, it'll be too late to go on."

"I'm sure it will be, but dragging our feet won't mean it'll make it different."

"Which way are we going anyway?" Artie asked.

"To the woods," Mercedes said at once, "It'll be quicker even if we have to deal with traps."

"Aren't you're over thinking it?" Artie suddenly propositioned, "none of you have been in Carmel, and they probably don't know who you are."

"Are you saying," Tina said with a laugh, "we masquerade as tinkers or something like that?"

"Actually I was thinking pretending to regular travelers, but that works too."

Kurt stopped sharpening the arrow, "are you on fizz? It's not going to work!"

"It'll be fun," Tina said grabbing his arm shaking it a bit, "wouldn't you like to trick the soulless automatons?"

"Are they really machines?" Artie asked.

"If there were," Kurt said, "we wouldn't be fretting." He mimed a gestured with an imaginary wrench. "I would have dismantled before you could blink."

"They're Carmel's elite magicians," Mercedes said to Artie, "The kingdom devotes a great deal of its gold to magical arts."

"That doesn't mean they're better."

"Rachel went there," Tina said with a shrug, "instead of heading north to Havensbrook or east to Dalton."

"That doesn't prove anything though." Artie protested.

"You keep bringing it up," Kurt noticed, "You don't even know Rachel, why do you care why she left?"

Artie picked up the staff, and slowly climbed to his feet, "Everyone leaves for a reason. Knowing it might have help bring her back." He hobbled of a bit away from the group, "Where are we again?"

Tina scrambled to her feet following him, "a half days hike to Illan."

"Is it a small city?" Artie asked.

"Not particularly."

Before Tina could ask why he was curious, he gestured with the staff, along the road, "there's someone coming towards us."

"It doesn't look dangerous," Mercedes said joining them. "Not very fast though."

"I think we should head into town," Tina said quickly, "we can buy train tickets."

Artie and Mercedes turned to watch her run back to their impromptu camp, and backing up her things, then going to pack the others as well. Kurt jumped at his arrows flew into the air back in the quiver and the fire blew out on its own accord.

"Did you see a troll or something?" Artie asked.

"It's like Mercedes was saying we should use the amount of daylight we have, don't want to get behind on schedule!"

With nearly all their gear floating in the air behind her, Tina hurried down the hill in the direction towards the nearest town.

"That was unusual," Artie said to Mercedes, "does she do that often?"

"Actually," Mercedes replied watching Tina's frenetic pace, "she does."

* * *

As Kurt read through the day's paper, he glanced in the mirror as Artie held a book in one hand absently humming a spell under his breath. Under the guidance of his free hand the water swept around, coiling into a rope separating into pairs, sometimes even crystallizing into ice shapes.

While the girls were more than eager to welcome him, Kurt held some reservations rightfully stemming from the staff he carried. The only benefit was that it slowed their pace, something Kurt didn't mind since Rachel wasn't one of his favorite people.

Kurt turned the page. Figgins apparently was going to lean on the dukes and duchesses to throw their support on the anti-magic ban. With the six of the seven duchies loyalties made known in one shape or form, Hudson's answer was the one everyone was waiting for. Kurt tapped the page wishing he could alter the printed words. This ban could only mean poor things for him. He only got interested in Glee since it allowed him to express himself in a way he couldn't in his father's household, taking it away even in some minor fashion was unthinkable. Perhaps Rachel could strike fear into people's hearts in what a skilled user could do.

As the thought crossed his mind, Kurt grimaced. Or speed the delivery of the bill.

"When you were talking about sneaking through the woods, it seemed you were geared for a fight."

Kurt lowered the paper folding it as he faced Artie "Worried?"

Artie made a face glancing at the quiver of arrows on Kurt's bed. "I take it's not magic."

"We learned weapons can enhance the performance of magic," Kurt said. "Arrows are easier to use with fire, though I have some skill with sai swords."

The puzzlement across Artie's face was enough for Kurt to reach over to his bag and dig deep into the contents of his bag for the blades. He flipped them around in his hands, easily as if he done it since the day he was born. "This is for hand to hand contact, but I've been out practice. Mercedes thinks I should just stick with arrows and Tina's too good with her knives."

"Perhaps there I can be of some assistance," Artie said picking up the staff, and Kurt continued to twirl the sai swords. "I'm in need of practice as well."

Kurt smirked anticipating how this was going to end very much in his favor.

* * *

The next morning Tina was quite certain there was something wrong with her eyes when she went to pull back the curtain.

"Am I dreaming," she said to Mercedes, who was similarly shell-shocked as they stared out the inn's window. "Are they fighting?"

"It appears like it," Mercedes said "but it doesn't look like they're going for blood."

Kurt was spinning the sai swords in his hands as he tried to land a blow on Artie. Tried being the objective term. Artie was surprisingly light on his feet as ducked most of the blows, but a glance to the ground showed the slick patches of ice that appeared under his feet giving him the agility he needed to block Kurt's growingly frantic attacks. He slipped around Kurt, and tapped him on the shoulder with the staff, which only seemed to enrage him more. While it appeared to be for sport as Mercedes suggested, Kurt was growing red in the face as flames appeared in the air around him.

"They better cool off," Mercedes grumbled, "I'm not paying the inn anything."

She pulled back the curtain and turned to Tina. "But since the boys are busy, you can spill."

"Spill what?" Tina said as casually as she could, but given the stare she received, Tina realized she was failing miserably.

Time for another tactic.

Spinning around, Tina fixed her gaze on the bed knob. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know exactly what," Mercedes said hotly, "You turned whiter than a banshee and ran faster than a gnome on fire. Was that man on the horse an assassin?"

"Worse," Tina moaned sitting down on the window ledge. She reached for the spoon necklace she wore, engraved not just with her name, but her lucky dragon. As she turned it over in her hand, she reached up and loosened the bun holding her hair.

Mercedes shook herself. "Colored streaks, blue streaks" she said softly her eyes narrowing. "Tell me you hid them because Kurt would shave your head."

Tina bit her lip.

"The Cohen-Chang clan," Mercedes sputtered, "you're the dreamwalker they've been looking for! It's all over the notices."

"I'm not really a dreamwalker," Tina said quietly, "Just a potential one, but there's a high probability any child I had would be one. And," she said bitterly, "there's no need to risk such a bloodline on the folly of learning what lies outside the Clans."

Mercedes face softened as she sat down next to her. "Do you plan to go back?"

"I will eventually. There was another member of the clan with the same potential and even greater power who was taken as a young child. I originally set out to find her, but I have no chance at it." Tina said as the expertly pulled her hair back into the bun, going by touch to hide away her heritage. "They also sent him after me, and Mike will find me and I'll go back because he'll make me feel guilty if I don't." Off Mercedes's unanswered question she added, "I stayed that long under Schue's tutelage since the wards kept him away, but since we've left he's been tracking us. This is the closest he's gotten."

She waited for Mercedes to anything else, but surprisingly she just shook her head. "You honestly thought you could keep it going for this long without one of us knowing? Artie was going on about protection wards. One of them nearly blew up in my face, but he'll eventually remember the spell and they're going to catch this person."

Tina shrugged. "You're not going to tell-"

"No." As Tina started to smile, Mercedes added, "but when this all catches up with you, you'll have to tell them. But I can help you out."

She tugged out the map that was sticking out of Tina's bag. "It'll add extra time but," She traced the opposite direction towards the countryside. "If we catch a train here, and take another, we might be able to lose the scent."

"Thank you." Tina said quietly.

"Don't thank me yet you never know what's lie ahead of us-"

One of Kurt's sai swords flew through the window causing them to both to jump for cover. Brushing aside the glass, Tina tentatively looked out the window.

"Sorry!" Artie called from outside. Kurt was somewhere nearby fuming furiously, shaking off the ice that covered his sleeve, "He missed!"

"I won't this time!" Kurt roared, "do you know how much I trouble I had to go through to get from the elves!"

"Theft?"

"Come on up here!" Mercedes yelled trying to head Kurt off, "we got a change in plans."

* * *

"What time did they say the train was?" Tina asked as she shuffled her bag over her shoulder.

"A half click," Artie replied flipping through a book. "I don't have a watch." He said as Tina glared at him.

"Hold on to mine then," Tina said tossing the pocket watch towards him. He caught deftly with one hand, as he shuffled the book back onto the bookshelf.

"This looks beaten up," he muttered, before glancing over at her.

Tina kept looking out the doorway of the shop, one hand running her necklace as she stared out into the streets. She had been had doing it ever since she all but shoved him in the direction of the shop. Although Artie was sure the book shop was nice alternative than cooling their heels outside the station. He was slightly disappointed she was seemly distracted.

"There's the book I wanted," Tina said suddenly, grabbing him by the arm. Artie let himself be dragged through the aisles with Tina, patches of ice appearing and disappearing under his feet as she desperately looked for something that wasn't a book.

"I don't think you'll find-"

They went out the backroom, boxes of books flying out their path as exited out the backdoor into the alley.

"Windows, windows," she muttered looking, letting go of his arm. As he got the blood flowing back again, he realized she was looking at him intently.

"Can you jump? Or better you, we can separate, I'll get on the roof-"

"Wait." Artie held the staff in front of her blocking her path. For a moment she looked like she was about to jump around it, but thankfully she hesitated.

For this Artie was grateful. The use of several extensive spells made an improvement on his mobility. But none of the spells he could remember could stop it from feeling like glass ramming into his legs just when he walked. He imagined running after her would be a doomed venture.

However the alternative was to lose her and he couldn't have that either.

Artie held up her watch that he somehow managed to hold on to, "don't we have a train to catch?"

Her eyes widened, "that's perfect!"

Once more she grabbed him the arm, and dragged him out the maze of alleys, towards the direction Artie hoped was the train station.

"What was it called?" he said breathlessly dropping the spell as they pushed their way through the crowd towards the platform. She slowed her pace, noticing him hobbling after her.

"The Calendia."

They stopped at the edge not seeing the train, but the crowd of people with luggage on one end seemed promising.

"Looks," Artie said panting a bit leaning on the staff, spelling a numbing charm against the shoots of pain in his leg, "like it hasn't come yet-"

A train rolled passed them, its name emblazoned in gold.

"Shards," Tina swore.

Artie saved his breath for a spell, as they hurried to catch it before it sped up.

As they chase after the train the back door of the caboose flew open, and Kurt nearly fell over the rail as he ran out.

"You idiots," he roared as Mercedes came out after him. "You're the ones who booked the train! How can you miss it!"

"Yell at them later," Mercedes said, "toss the bags, and get up here!"

Tina tossed her bag, hitting Kurt in the chest, he snarled at her, but didn't respond as he caught Artie's bag as well.

"Hang on," Tina said grabbing on to his hand once more. She hummed something soft under her breath and she jumped into the air. They both flew up into the air, and for a moment Artie wondered if this flying felt like when a sudden gust of wind blew in the opposite direction and they hit the side door of the caboose with a hard thud.

Artie blinked back the stars that filled his eyes as Tina moaned rubbing her head. "That's going to leave a mark."

"Serves you right," Kurt grumbled tossing her bag at her, before he stomped off.

"Something the matter?" Artie asked looking through his glasses for any breaks.

Mercedes rolled her eyes in the general directions Kurt flounced out in, "Still upset about the ice," She helped them up, "are you two alright?"

"I can manage," Tina said as she touched her arm, "nothing seems broken. Did you find a compartment?"

Kurt was sharpening arrows again, and purposely ignored them as they sat down, placing their bags away. Artie promptly sat down by the window and began to cast numbing spells the moment he got settled. He wasn't sure his exhaustion from the spells earlier weakened them or the pain was greater than usual but it wasn't working.

The girls were discussing something over the map talking in quiet whispers. They weren't going south anymore but the reasons why for such a change weren't discussed. Since Kurt seemed unwillingly to press them, Artie left the matter slide, he was here for the journey and not the destination after all, particularly when no one knew where this would end up.

* * *

"Is he asleep?" Kurt asked after some time. Glancing over where Artie sat curled up on the end of the compartment.

Without looking up from her book, Tina replied, "Yes."

"Good." He leaned forward to the girls, "there's something I want to say. Something's wrong with him."

Mercedes looked unconvinced as he continued, "Hear me out. He seems nice enough, but between not knowing certain things, bad taste in clothes, and eagerness to come with us. I come to the conclusion he's an undine."

"Merefolk?" Mercedes exclaimed as looked up from her book.

"Are you on something?" Tina chimed in.

"It makes sense. He can't walk well, he has no memory of relevant things, and he has odd mannerisms. You read, haven't you heard the fairy tales?"

"That's ridiculous though," Tina shutting her book, "an enchantment like that is very costly."

"I don't know," Mercedes added, "if anyone knows about being enchanted it's Kurt who managed to insult nearly every witch we ever met."

He scowled at her but it did little to deter her amusement.

"If you think that," Tina asked, "why tell us and not him?"

"He'll say he doesn't know. You must admit there has to be some truth to it." Kurt added thoughtfully, "do you think if we push in a lake he grow a fish tail?"

Tina looked at him as if he had grown a tail himself before she stormed out the compartment. "I'm going to see if there was a snack car."

Mercedes turned to him as the door slammed shut behind her.

Kurt crossed his legs looking out the window. "I didn't do anything."

They sat like that for some time, Mercedes staring at him and Kurt staring out the window neither budging from their stances while Artie snored softly in the background.

Finally when he couldn't take it anymore, he stood up clearing his throat. "She's taking too long, I'll go see if she needs help."

"You do that."

Kurt left the compartment and wondered down the main train in searched of his comrade, when he heard her voice down at the end.

Raised as in anger.

"Hey," he said closing the distance only to face a pair of women, who while not identical were wearing the same red dresses with white piping. The blonde one was holding a furiously bound Tina. Kurt was already recalling spell when the other pointed a wand at Kurt.

"Why do we always have to this hard the way?"

She flicked the wand and Kurt's vision went black.

* * *

Artie bolted awake as Mercedes slammed open the door.

"What's going on?"

"Tina went out to get some food and hadn't come back," Mercedes said, "she might have gotten lost. Kurt hadn't come back from finding her either, I thought he would be back."

"Not here," Artie gingerly climbed back onto the seat, picking up the staff.

"Shards," Mercedes swore.

"Tina might have run into someone she knows," Artie added.

Mercedes tensed and she averted her eyes. "That's not good."

"That she's gone, or that you're not going to tell me anything?"

"Don't get up," Mercedes said quickly Artie began to move in that direction. "We can find her."

"I told you I can handle-" The train went to a screeching stop, bags falling to a crash around them.

"Not good," Mercedes muttered as she slid the door open. "Shards, the lights have blown. Where's Kurt when you need him?"

She hurried out the compartment towards the caboose.

The lights flickered on, but otherwise ceased in movement. He suspected they had a bit a time before it started up again. Artie glanced at the bags tossed in the compartment, and cast a shrinking spell, tucking his companions' shrunken bags into his own, just in case. Hobbling off the train Artie found Mercedes not far from the caboose exit holding up a fine silk scarf. "This is Kurt's," she whispered, "he'd never…"

"I'm sure he's fine." Artie began, only to stop when Mercedes shrieked causing him to place his hands over his ears.

"Get it off, get it off!" she jumped around.

Blinking, Artie he looked at her closely and saw a frog hanging onto the scarf despite Mercedes's attempts to shake it off. Only when Mercedes reached for her hammer did the frog jump out of reach onto a tree stump.

But instead of moving further, it just stayed in one place staring at the scarf in Mercedes' hand almost as if…

Artie looked back at the scarf than to the frog a connection being made.

"Mercedes, I think the frog's Kurt."

"What!"

Artie pointed at the frog with his staff. The frog didn't move staring at them unblinkingly before it nodded.

"You got cursed again," Mercedes said exasperatedly through her hands into the air, "what's with you and ticking witches off?"

The frog-Kurt croaked making a sound that sound admirably like disdain.

"We don't have time for this, Tina's missing and-"

Kurt croaked jumping up into the air again.

Mercedes flinched ducking behind Artie, who peered on unperturbed. "He knows something."

"Of course he does," Mercedes said miserably, "This always happens. He gets his nose into some trouble and I got run around and try to fix it and I'm really bad at restorative spells."

"It's a common Type 440," Artie murmured.

Mercedes stared while Kurt croaked.

"Bestial Enchantment," Artie said quickly, "They are the usual spells and charms, but a kiss works just a well."

Mercedes eyes darkened. "I am not kissing a frog! And it doesn't always work."

"Well these are complex, and it'll take some time to find the proper way to undo it since knowing the magical signature would be much similar-"

"Which we don't have time for," Mercedes interjected.

"Correct, and we certainly can't keep him like this, I don't speak frog."

"Okay," Mercedes said slightly taken aback, "what do we do?"

Artie leaned down coming face to face with frog-Kurt. "You said this happened before?"

"Kurt got himself turned into a ferret," Mercedes said pressing the bridge of her nose, "had to use charms of all sorts to get him back not mention pay a hedge witch-"

There was a flash of light as Kurt reappeared, his face curled up in disgusted.

"A little warning!" he bristled wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, "would be nice. I think I'm going to be sick, you wear dwarf made clothing!"

"The reason it didn't work the last time," Artie said standing back up, watching in interest as Kurt flounced about, "is because Kurt likes guys. You lacked the necessary ingredient for the spell."

"Say that again," Mercedes scowled, "and I will cut you."

Artie just shrugged as she went to calm Kurt down. "What happened?" Mercedes asked, "Tina's missing, you were turned into a frog-"

"And time stopped on the train," Artie added.

"That too," Mercedes added, "did you see anything?"

"I was looking for Tina like I said," Kurt said ruffled, "and I ran into a woman ranting about lizards and jewelry, and then next thing I knew her dark twin rolled up and waved something at me, and here we are."

"So no Tina?"

"No, but," Kurt pulled off the lapel of jacket pulling out a strand of hair, "I think this might be helpful. You know any tracking spells?"

* * *

Tina rubbed at the rope at her wrists, glaring at the man on the other side of the table.

Across the deserted tavern, a pair of identically dressed witches sat at a table, the bitchy dark haired one discreetly pointing a wand at her. Her companion merely beamed at Tina as if they routinely abducted people of trains, spelled them senseless, and tied them up in enchantments. Or rather, Tina considered the very skilled way they cleared out the tavern, perhaps they did.

"If this is your attempt to convince me to go back home," Tina said to Mike, "You're doing it wrong."

He didn't seem insulted though he looked quite worryingly at the rope. Looking over at his shoulder, he waved a hand at the witches, who stood up and wandered about making sure to keep the tavern deserted.

"It's a bit extreme," Mike admitted, "but you're getting too good at disappearing and running away. You did it for three years after all."

"I didn't want to be caught." Tina leaned back against the booth trying to put as much difference as possible between them, "you almost convinced me to go back once, but that was before I realized you were on their side."

"You're the next Dreamwalker," Mike said firmly, "the clans need you sooner than when Kenja passes."

There was sympathy in his eyes, the same sympathy that almost persuade her that he was seeing her side of things. See that Tradition was stifling the Clans and that new ideas, new blood was needed to keep the Clans strong. But he was a Traditionalist just like all the rest, right down to liking chicken feet salads.

"If you're not going back now," Mike said trying a different tactic, "when do you plan to go back. A year, two years, five? What are you doing risking your life learning Outlander magics?"

"I happen to have a talent with Glee," Tina said roughly, "and I'm willingly to cultivate it to bring it back to help-"

He held out a hand. "That is what so important you'll betray your people? Yor5u very presence among them upsets the balance our clans!"

Resentment was coursing through Tina's veins, not only due to his words but that fact that she knew most of what he was saying was coming out of the Elder's mouths. Words he said without little thought to what they mean. If he even paused for a moment to consider what he said, he'd known why she left in the first place.

"I rather the Clan than myself." She stood up at the table. "Let me go or I'll make this hard for you and your hired mercs."

"What happened, Tina," Mike asked quietly, "Why are you quick to turn your head? You're even dressing like them, what other things besides magics have you taken up?"

"Santana, boss man!" The blonde witch chirped before Tina could reply, "Look what I found! Isn't he cute?"

She gleefully came back into focus tugging along with, to Tina's surprise, Artie.

"You know him," Mike asked before Tina could school her expression.

Artie shook his head minutely, even as the dark haired witch yanked Artie away from her companion fixing him with a death glare.

"No." Tina said softly, Mike frowned as if he didn't believe her.

"Is this who you're traveling with?" Mike asked, glancing between them, "is this the reason you won't come back?"

"What are you talking about?" Tina said hoping her voice didn't catch. Behind the witches, she saw Kurt slowly rise from behind the bar, drawing back an arrow as he took aim, "are you implying something about my honor?"

Mike's face was flushed with embarrassment and as he stammered out an apology fire laced arrows cut through the air. Mike jumped back to avoid it and lost his balance and fell backwards over the booth. Ignoring him, Tina darted through the tables, trying and failing to undo her binding. The enchanted rope remained tight further inhibiting her ability to move as well as her magic.

In the meantime, Artie used the distraction to tug himself free of the witch and knock her on the head with his staff.

"Where did the other one go?" he muttered as Tina tried to push him forward.

"Never mind that, let's go."

"Wait," Mike called as scrambled over the table. "I didn't hire you to-"

Artie yanked Tina to the side as dark lightening slammed into the floor next to them. Wood splintered into air as the dark haired witch rose to her feet, her eyes flashing dangerously as she waved her wand.

Tina muttered to Artie, "You really shouldn't have hit her on the head."

Artie ignored her hummed a spell. An ice wall rose up absorbing the shock on the next spout of dark magic.

"You're a Gleek," the witch hissed, as more black magic flew across the deserted tavern, "I know what to do with you!" She whipped around pointed the wand at him. The witch yelped as one of Kurt's arrows caught skimmed across the top of her hand.

Kurt ran around the table already drawing another arrow, his flushed face with exertion and rage. "You turned me into frog, my complexion can't handle transformations!"

"You said you put him to asleep," Mike called from the other end of the destroyed room.

"Details, details," the witch said with a shrug, "Did you really expect me to keep a promise? And by the way," she added to Kurt, "that scarf is tacky."

Kurt eyes flashed in rage, and he tossed the bow to pull out the sai swords.

"Don't," Tina whispered to Artie, as Kurt leapt off the table, "let him do this or he won't forgive you."

He swung out at the witch, but the blade struck a violet shield with a ringing noise.

The shield dissolved and formed into long blades in each of the witch's hands. "My turn."

A hammer twirled around like a boomerang knocking the blades out of her hands.

Tina looked over to see Mercedes standing on the table smirking despite the nasty cut on her face.

"You might want to check on your friend," Mercedes said jumping of the table, gesturing for the hammer to return to her hand. "She didn't look so well."

"Brittany!" the witch cried out, dropping her guard as she ran out.

Mercedes slumped forward, as Tina climbed back to her feet.

"Guys, let's go before she's finds out I'm bluffing!"

Mike weakly called out to stop them, but Tina ignored him as they ran out into the village courtyard.

"Wait." Artie paused tapping the ground and yanked the staff back as a claw stretched out of the ground.

"Whatever you're thinking," Kurt said frankly, "it's a bad idea."

"Aren't you curious about what wards there are?"

"No."

"How did you guys," Tina asked Mercedes quietly, as Artie convinced Kurt to break up the wards around the tavern, "get here in the first place?"

"We caught a ride; I take it," Mercedes added dryly, "that was the guy who was tracking you?"

Tina nodded.

"You can tell us everything on the ride."

Finding a thumbless wagon driver, and after dropping a number of coins to take them to the next village, they each took turns in trying to undo the enchantments around Tina's bounds with Artie having the most success.

"Who was that man?" Kurt asked counted his arrows, "it seemed like he knew you."

"And old friend."

"Who hired people to capture you?" Mercedes replied trying to keep her balance as the wagon swayed about.

Tina shrugged, holding her hands up as Artie spun his hand around the spell. "It was just a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding of what exactly," Kurt asked, "the witches that were intent on cursing us?"

"It wasn't that bad."

The charm shattered, and feeling was restored to Tina's hands. As she rubbed the chafed skin Artie moved back to the other side of the wagon, leaning against the frame.

"You say that," Kurt said, "when we have no idea of what's going on."

Tina looked to Mercedes who looked away similar unconcerned. Sooner it seemed had finally caught up with her.

"The streaks in your hair mean something, don't they?" Artie asked.

Kurt's eyes widened. "Dreamwalker!" he exclaimed at once, and like Tina had feared he began to sputter a number of fancy tittles and accolades that blew past Mercedes and Artie. At each mention, Tina sunk lower and lower in the wagon embarrassed by what she was afraid he was about to reveal next.

"You're the most important person in the Clan other than the chieftain, and I made you make me tea!"

"Ah," Artie said with a nod, "it explains everything, people always run from their past it Type 124 of quest types."

The other two had turned to stare at him, but Tina was relieved that he was he making something up to distract them.

"The one thing we haven't considered in thinking about why the enchantress left in the first place."

"Why do you think what made Rachel go to Carmel is so important?" she asked quickly before Kurt or Mercedes could bring it about her past.

"According the map you are excluding the twelve kingdoms on the continent, and before then you stayed in McKinley, She could be anywhere."

"We got it on good word she's there," Kurt said but Mercedes snorted.

"No we don't, we got the word a stalker whose information may very well be out of date." She hesitated, "we might have to go directly to a source to find out why."

Kurt's eyes grew wide in alarm, "You're not implying-"

"Yes," Mercedes said firmly, "we find Duke of Hudson, Lady Fabray, and Knight Puckerman. One of them will have answers we might need, hopefully one of the first two."

"That's a horrible idea," Kurt said at once. He sat back gesturing wildly accidentally striking Artie on the head. "Bad idea, let's not do it."

"You'll have to give a better reason than that," Artie replied.

"You don't even know them," Kurt shot back.

"What he means is," Tina added, "that if we don't know for sure why waste our time? Even if Rachel's in Carmel we don't even know where."

"We're on a quest, looking for a person none of us can stand," Kurt roared, "why do we have to be rational!"

"Because we're going in the wrong direction anyway," Mercedes pointed out, "our driver you graciously tipped is on something."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kurt said glancing at the man perched on the driver's seat, someone how managing to hold the horse's reins despite a lack of thumbs.

"I think," Tina wrinkled her nose, "I smell cough syrup."

"Fine!" Kurt huffed, as if his decision was the one they needed in the first place. "We find them, but how are we going to manage that? We can't just stroll up to their estates."

"Don't worry," Mercedes said with a small smile. "I know someone."


	4. Party Crashers

[4]

* * *

There was some benefit in being an exile in the kingdom, particularly when then was small group of them. They become your family, your support group, and easy to procure favors from. In this case even though they hadn't talked in quite some time, Matt Rutherford was more than willingly to open both his home and resources to her when she dropped by unannounced.

"Missy M," he said as embraced her warmly, "it's been much too long. You never should have left to learn under the Grand Vizier, I miss your visits. How have you been?"

"Well enough, friend, well enough." Mercedes said returning his fond gesture. She looked back at her friends standing in the parlor. Tina's eyes were respectively glancing down at her feet, Kurt was closely surveying the imported carpets and furniture, while Artie was poking around with absently with his staff. "These are my companions. I hope they won't bother you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Rutherford," Tina said as they shook hands.

"Please," he said with grin, "any friends of Mercedes are friends of mine, call me Matt."

"Well then Matt," Artie gestured to where a door opened to the library, "mind if we poke our heads-"

"Not at all," Matt said quickly turning to Mercedes, "my house is open as long as you plan on staying."

"Depending on how you can help me," Mercedes replied. She hooked her arm into his walking along the hall, leading to where the double doors opened to the garden. "You painted portraits for most of the noble families in the kingdoms surely you know some event or ball occurring."

"I have," Matt replied, "and I told you more than once if you wanted to paint portraits as well you're more than welcome."

"I'll consider it," Mercedes said, "but at the moment I'm interested in any free tickets you have to a ball."

"It depends," Matt said, "on who you're looking for."

"You know me," Mercedes tightened her grip playfully, "the more extravagant the better."

"Then you'll be interested in that Lady Fabray is holding a holding a Masquerade Ball in a week. Her estate is south of here off of Lake Slush. You may have seen the decorations coming in."

Mercedes grinned, "I wondering why the town was in a frenzy. I thought there some kind of spring festival going on."

Matt returned her smile adding, "It's an elaborate affair worthy of Raindance, and the masks and costumes at work mean you don't even need the help of someone like the Duke of Hudson's brother to get in."

Mercedes laughed, "Don't be silly, I studied with him, the Duke doesn't have a brother."

Matt just smiled, "Just rumors then."

He clapped his hands together, "I see your other companions have taken interest in my library, will you join them or can I show you to your rooms? And perhaps I can word to my servants what you like for costumes?"

"No need," Kurt interrupted from behind, "I can manage on my own."

He stomped off disappearing from the house, slamming the door behind him.

Mercedes tried not to flinch as she glanced over at Matt, who seemed unaffected by the show. If anything his eyes twinkled with amusement by the whole thing. Mercedes made a note to attempt to pry it out of him, though given his record of keeping quiet about things it might be rather difficult.

"Shall we-"

She shook her head and followed Kurt out to the garden where he stood in front of the sundial lost in thought.

"Is there something wrong?"

"His taste in sculpture is of suspect," Kurt said as he stared at the fountain, "I wouldn't trust him with costumes."

"You don't trust him at all." Mercedes countered.

Kurt shrugged, still not looking at her as he made the pretense of studying the garden as he walked along the brick path that cut between the interlocking flower bushes. "He imports flowers from around the kingdom, even a few outside of it. Such a waste."

"He's an old friend of mine," Mercedes replied, "and I trust him with my life."

She waited for Kurt to ask about what could have happened to gain her trust so. Closed mouth about his own past, Kurt respected her need to keep quiet about her own. But judging how bad he reacted after learning that Tina was the Dreamwalker of the Kochikaze Clans, Mercedes figured it didn't matter unless it was important.

As for Mercedes's own past she may not have glamorous past to run from, but she did have some secrets that might infringe her chances of getting a position of power in McKinley. Given the magic restriction bill the sooner they brought back Rachel, the sooner it could lead to make sure her position in the kingdom could never be shaken. She wanted security in her life even if it meant using the people she called friends to do it.

"How did an exile become the most well connected person in the kingdom?" Kurt asked finally, "I assume this is the contact you have mentioned in the past who aided us in mysterious ways."

Mercedes nodded, recalling the safe houses, and supplies, and even the insider tip that allowed them infiltrate the guard some time ago.

"I guess that mean I can trust him then,' Kurt admitted, "But not about the costumes. You recall Fabray's tendency for a spectacle, she'll probably feed doves glitter again."

"I think you tired to do that," Mercedes said as he hooked his arm into hers. "You think they'll be anything left in the stores?"

Kurt tapped his nose, "Never doubt my ability to find things, Mercedes, never doubt it."

Picking up the knives she left on the nightstand the night before, she sat on the edge of her bed and began to sharpen her sword. The blade rung each time she struck it, the sound of her childhood echoing back at her. Mike hadn't tracked them since they left that last time, and she was no longer afraid he'll do it again. If anything was made clear from their confrontation the ball was in her corner now, and it was her actions that mattered.

_The clans need you._

Something flew past her window, and thinking it birds, Tina ignored it until it came back around again. Dropping the weapons, Tina leaned against the windowsill glancing out towards the garden. It was cloudy like the last three days when it rained in a steady pattern that didn't quite put Mercedes and Kurt off from going to the village shops. But there wasn't a drop of rain today since Artie sitting in the center of the garden. An orb of light circled him and occasionally he would hum out a spell striking the orb with a jet of water. Each time the water struck the light inwardly collapsed but not before rebounding the water back into in his face.

Tina watched trying to convince herself she was watching him go through the steps in remembering a spell but when he grew frustrated and limped off back to the house shaking the water out of his clothes, Tina realized she trying to delude herself.

_Is he the reason you're still here?_

Outsiders were frowned upon in the Clans. Even her just adapting to Outlander ways meant she risked ostracization even if she was their Dreamwalker. It was unthinkable to even consider…

She shook her head forcibly controlling her strain of thoughts. Besides none of them had a clue who Artie really was. Kurt may have mention recognizing him in the vaguest of fashions but Kurt knew lots of people and traveled as far Mercedes did, and Tina herself wasn't that good of judge of character. She was just being silly.

A knock came at the door, and jumped ripping the curtain off the ring.

"Tina," Artie called through the door, "they're back with more boxes. I thought it was just a party, we aren't staying at manor are we?"

Tina untangled herself form the curtain. "They tend to go overboard, and Matt did give them the full use of his purse. I'll be down in a bit."

She was just being silly too, she thought replacing her weapons away, silly like that little girl she thought she left behind when she ran away from the clans.

Coming downstairs, the noise from the parlor room told her friends were there waiting for her, and Kurt had already started indulging in the theatrics he channeled into other venues since they left the capital.

He stood in the middle of the parlor with boxes scattered around him, holding a leafy green outfit explaining the details of his design choice. Mercedes had a very patient expression as she fingered a beaded mask actively trying to stay quiet. Artie watched with undisguised bewilderment, mouthing along the more extravagant phrases. Settled in an arm chair adjacent to them Matt watched on with amused silence at the show.

"I thought the idea was to blend in," Artie said as Tina sneaking in grabbing a spot on the couch with her friends, "going as a wood nymph-"

"Dryad!" Kurt said crossly.

"It's just a marginally higher rank," Artie continued on waving his words aside, "but isn't a bit much to have feathered boa, it doesn't really go with it."

Kurt placed his costume to the side, and held up a plain white domino mask, "this is your costume," Kurt said pointedly to Artie, "your wardrobe is a costume itself anyway."

"Kurt, don't be like this," Mercedes chastised, but Artie didn't seemed too upset accepting the mask with a smile.

Tina had feeling it might have been the outcome that would have occurred in the first place.

"For you," Kurt turned to Tina holding up a blue dress, "I was inspired by the streaks in your hair. I would show them off, it's no use hiding your unusual heritage anymore. Most people aren't smart enough to know about it anyway. I have a box of accessories I will show you how to use accentuates your person properly."

"This is lovely," Tina cried out as she stood hold the dress against her. It was easily the most non book related expense in her possession from just holding it as well as Kurt's taste in things. "You didn't have to go through all the trouble!"

"It has to be elaborate enough to fit in with the nobles," Kurt replied. He sat down on the arm of one of the parlor's spare chairs. "We can't stand out since Quinn knows us."

Artie looked up sharply. "The way you said that, suggests bad blood."

"Why wouldn't Quinn want to talk to us?" Tina asked, "She knows us, it's not like we're going to assassinate her or something."

"Apparently," Kurt replied flatly, "news of our quest has spread, and she doesn't want us to find Rachel."

"That means she won't talk to us," Artie concluded.

"No," Kurt corrected pointing at Artie, "she'll talk to you."

"Cool your dragons," Mercedes interrupted before Tina could protest. "This sounds awfully like the time you got us to dress up in parachute pants. If Quinn's so against it, she'll probably lie no matter who talked to her."

"We're better off snooping in her rooms," Tina joked, only to grow alarmed as Kurt's eyes lit up.

"Not a bad idea."

"We're not thieves, I'm not slinking into her desk drawers for information," Mercedes grumbled.

"If we're wearing masks," Artie offered, "why would it matter?"

"Quinn studied with us," Kurt said brusquely, "she'll be able to see through any enchantments we used and have a few up her sleeves."

"What kind of friend is this?" Artie asked undertone to Tina who just shrugged.

"It's complicated," Kurt answered as he began to pace nervously in the parlor, "Quinn's threw her loyalties with the Cherrios."

"Shards," Tina swore, "Stars and shards!"

"I heard that," Mercedes said slowly, "but I didn't think it's true."

"It is," Matt said from his corner. "I heard she's one of Captain Sylvester few confidantes."

"But she liked studying with Schue," Mercedes said shaking her head, "I don't see how she could switch loyalties."

"The Lady has a reputation to think of," Kurt replied, "nor was she any good at singing."

Tina scowled at him, and he acquiesced, "Well she has a certain quality in her voice to say the least."

"You know this makes this much harder," Mercedes said, "we can't use magic as easily there. And there's bound to some guard lurking around."

"You can bet there will be guards," Tina retorted, "I never like her that much to begin with anyway, but I never expected she do this."

"The politics over the bill are dividing," Matt interjected calmly. "Given her status it's unsurprising."

"It just makes the probability of actually working out very low," Artie remarked.

"My friend," Kurt said as he rose from his chair, "you haven't been traveling with us very long if you don't know improbability is just a small matter in the grand scheme of things."

* * *

Artie narrowed his eyes watching as the golden lights floated around the garden shifting around fluttering about the costumed guests. There were werelights instead of wards, and their presence more than anything were annoying reminder of him mixing up the spells.

The lights cast a glow along the many mythical creatures, animals, gaudily dressed nobles lounging around the fountains and flowerbeds of Lady Fabray's impressive estate. He hadn't ventured inside yet, but the grounds were magnificently decorated with only a faint usage of magic. It glittered and shone with pride that reflected its owner, continuing to dazzle the guests that nibbled on the snacks provided.

Given that he wasn't running after trains or battling witches out for hire, the spells that improved his movement were holding up wonderfully enough so that as he walked through the crowd of overdressed nobles with some ease.

"Would you like a drink sir?" a servant wearing a pair of ornate horns asked as he walked by with a tray of drinks.

Artie curtly shook his head. Tina had expressed rather firmly before they left that there was high chance the drinks were laced with potion to either severely disable user's use of magic or make bright purple spots appear on their skin. How she knew of their effects was something she was tight lipped about, though Kurt told a completely different story.

He took a seat at the fountain in the center of the party watching as it revolved around him.

Kurt passed by, the leaves and greenery of his costume still a bit too flamboyant for Artie's tastes, though he had to admit it gave the other man the perfect excuse to carry his quiver of his arrows. Kurt was in the company of a dark haired young man seemingly dressed in a uniform. The ill match of his shirt and trousers indicated he wasn't one of the household and navy of the outfit pointed he wasn't one of the guard. As they walked past him Artie he thought he heard something about "red vines" though he wasn't quite sure what it meant. He never heard of a plant called that before.

Mercedes was across the garden, easily visible by the glittering golden tunic she wore. She looked quite diminutive next to a giant of a man dressed in a bright red dress of sorts. From the whispers he heard from the guests cajoling around him, that man was the Duke of Hudson, a surprise guest at the party. Although he has ties with Lady Fabray, he was the last one to weigh in on the anti-magic bill, though his stance against it was not firm. His presence at this party put to question his opinion as well as the potential sway in the bill's favor.

The Duke laughed, at something Mercedes said and she gently placed a hand on his arm leading him out the garden to inside the building.

"I'm surprised Kurt didn't mention he'll be here," Tina sat down next to him, holding a small plate covered with bits of crackers and cheese. She wore the dark blue dress that Kurt had bought for her and a beaded mask that hid half her face, which only served to enhance her quiet beauty. She popped a cracker into her mouth gesturing where Mercedes and the Duke stood. "He was the friendliest out of the four despite being the only one with a landed title."

"Kurt knows him," Artie said stretching to make a grab for a cracker, but she absently jerked the plate away.

"We all know him, you know that."

"He knows him," he repeated placing emphasis on the word. With his staff he gestured to Kurt who looking remarkably jittery as he kept craning his neck around. "Or the Duke knows something about him he is unwillingly to reveal given his reaction."

Tina nudged him in the arm, smiling beneath her mask, "you're being silly."

A curly haired man wearing a lion for a robe moved blocking their view. Although he looked utterly ridiculous he wore an expression that looked both bitter and miserable at the same.

"What would be silly," the man said, "is to dream."

Tina stiffened up, nearly dropping the tray.

"Why would you say that sir?" she asked politely.

"Dreams are highly unrealistic artifacts to place faith in," the man continued, "consider they come from the depths of the mind."

"I disagree," Tina retorted.

"Ah," the man said, "you're of those people from the Clans. I heard your dreamwalker is missing, don't you know by now it's a folly to dream?"

Tina stood up without a word, tossing the tray into the man's face before she stormed across the garden.

"Sorry," Artie said hastily as the man sputtered in distress, "it was a waste of good cheese."

He found Tina sitting in a boat at the lake's edge, absently tapping the edge with the sheathed edged her dagger.

"Be careful you might damage it."

She didn't look up before she put the dagger away, slipping it into the mysterious folds of her dress.

"You don't think I overreacted did you?"

Artie gingerly climbed into the beached boat, settling the staff at the bottom as he sat next to her. "A tad."

Tina made a face and grabbed an oar, holding it aloft for a moment too long before she pushed it against the bank sending them into the lake.

"You're trying to drown me?" Artie joked trying to keep cool as he grabbed the other oar steering them deeper into the lake.

"Not exactly, look over there."

Artie surveyed the horizon for a moment before he saw what she was gesturing to "there are people on the other bank."

"Walking from the party," Tina added, "they might be up to something."

"Or something else because people often sneak off on their own," Artie replied his words stumbling out awkwardly as she looked at him confused, "to do sneaky things."

Tina continued to stared and he abruptly looked away

"I've been meaning to ask," Tina said breaking the silence, "your pendant what does it mean?"

With his freehand, Artie pulled at the chain around his neck. When Kurt and presented him with a lack of costume, Mercedes had jokingly suggested that he wear some of the jewelry they had only when Artie remembered the necklace he had. It wasn't a diamond or any similar clear stone that was recognizable, but about the size of his thumb it was a remarkable jewel.

"It's doesn't have enchantment on it," he remarked as they continued to row, glad for the excuse not to meet her in the eye. "Miss Pillsbury ran a few tests on it, after mine turned the kettle into a cat, I stopped worrying about. It's the only thing I had with me of value but I don't have the urge not to sell it, though it's not worth much."

"My people believe that value you place in items creates an attachment to the item."

"Sentimentally?"

"More complicated than that," Tina frowned, as she stopped rowing, Artie hastily followed in suit. "It ties with the dreamweaving the item is connected to your sense of the real world, your memories even."

"Dreamweaving, you haven't mentioned that before."

Tina shrugged, "I only have a small affinity with it all things considered."

"You're probably better than you think, at least better at your shielding charms."

Tina elbowed him in the ribs, "I appreciate the compliment, and ignore the insult thank you very much."

They began to row in silence again, only to stop when a shadow fell over them. Or rather more precisely, Artie jumped dropping the oar into the lake as the boat slid underneath the bridge.

Tina bit her lip trying not to laugh, and Artie tried to awkwardly chuckle as he thought of spell to bring the oar back. As he did so, Tina suddenly jerked at his arm causing the boat to dangerously rock.

"What's wrong-"

She slapped a hand over his mouth as she gestured wildly above them.

A mere moment latter when a yell filled the air.

"You think that's hard! I beg to differ my annoying companion, I beg to differ. You try keeping the kingdom free of trolls, goblins, and lawyers! That's hard!"

"Oh my, that is difficult!"

The boat gently floated beyond the bridge and Artie had a brief glance at the women on the bridge. One woman had the pinched look of someone who tried too hard to stay perfectly coiffed and was drowning in silks and jewels of her extravagant costume. The other was a bit older but unlike most of the guests there was clearly not dressed for the party as she stood in a bright red uniform and carried not just a sword but a bullhorn as well.

Tina let go of him as she quickly began to row in a small circle keeping them under the direct center of the bridge. As the conversation continued it was clear neither woman was aware of them.

"You said you hit Fabray with a curse, Wicked Witch."

"Enchantment," the witch replied, "and my proper title is the Witch of East Quarter, I don't see what's so difficult about that."

"Can it baby snatcher, I'm counting on the strength of this estate, and your influence on its Lady. She's been showing resistance to my directions which will throw off not only my plans, but your future of luxury and relative peace. We cannot allow that sniveling curly haired excuse of a former husband of yours to gain Figgins's ear. One Sue Sylvester has claim on that ear since I need a few new cannons. Tell me about this curse you placed on the little…."

Their voices began to fade as they continued along bridge their footsteps indicating their departure.

"Saved," Tina dropping the oar as she sunk down into the boat.

"The Captain of the Cherrios I've been hearing about?" Artie asked, he recall the oar with a spell. It swatted him on the side of his head. Luckily Tina was staring up at the bridge and didn't notice.

"She's the most dangerous person in the kingdom. She's power hungry, manipulative, and hates magic, particularly glee influenced. And," she glanced up, "I heard she could smell fear."

"More than reason to leave the party," Artie replied.

"Without asking Quinn about Rachel?"

"Apparently there's either a curse or Quinn's being blackmailed, which makes the extraction process highly unlikely."

Tina considered his words for a bit and then nodded, "They might have been able to find something of use about this."

She went to stick the oar back into the water, but Artie stopped her. "What about the rest? The Captain sounds like she wants to force the bill into her favor."

Tina gently moved his hand off the oar. "It's not our concern. At least it's not mine. The objective is to find Rachel, politics are too messy to get involved with."

"True."

Artie picked up his oar and looked over at the bank where the party was still proceeding. "Rowing back will take too long, unless we had a boost."

Artie whistled a tune, and the water leapt up into rolling waves sending them sailing across the lake.

To give her credit, Tina didn't scream, though Artie was quite sure she nearly pushed in back into the lake when they got to the other side.

If anything in their absence the crowd had grown thicker, and livelier.

"Looks likes everyone's drunk," Artie remarked.

"That's good for us," Tina said hooking her arm into his. "No time for the staff, lean on me, we'll get through this faster."

If he had stumbled at first, Tina didn't seem to notice more than usual, as they made their way through the crowd to the main building. Artie coughed as a puff of smoke blasted into his face from the few other nobles who had migrated similarly inside, but as the bottles and clouds of smoke indicated otherwise, not for benign purposes.

Wordlessly they split up, checking the various interlocking room for any sign of their friends. The first few times revealed empty rooms, and one with its occupants in a comprising position.

"Sorry didn't a see a thing," Artie said as quipped quickly as the men tried to the duck behind the sheets, "though I didn't think that was possible." He shut the door as the shoe was thrown at him.

As Artie was putting enough distance between him and the room, Tina came up to him with a defeated expression on her face and dark stain on her dress.

"I can't find them at all, and I got punch thrown at me. I'm starting to think," Tina "I was think it might be better to go outside and cast a flare."

"Wouldn't that draw attention from Sylvester because of the magical backwash?"

"I think it's a chance we have to take, if the Witch of the East put a spell on Quinn and that means they might be in trouble."

"There can't be a problem, there wasn't any-"

Artie's words trailed off as he recalled the ride back across the lake.

"That was a miscalculation." Artie muttered as Tina moaned.

"No kidding," Tina crossed her arms looking at him sternly, "something could have happened to them around that time and if something did-"

"Your friends are upstairs."

Artie recognized the man that Kurt was conversing with earlier, though he was missing the hat he was sporting with at that time.

"You are Kurt's friends right?" he added hesitantly, "he seemed concerned, said something gone wrong with a spell."

Tina nearly knocked the man over as she took the stairs two at a time despite her heels.

"I'm Artie, she's Tina." Artie added as he hurried the best he could up the stairs.

"Blaine," The man said as he followed.

"Delighted."

Artie found his friends in a small bedroom overlooking the garden.

Mercedes was looking slightly stunned from her perch on the bed while Tina waved her spoon necklace in front her. Kurt paced in the room, looking less and less like a careless wood nymph.

Pulling the mask off his face, he readjusted his glasses as Artie asked, "How bad is the enchantment?"

"Bad enough," Kurt said through gritted teeth, "It's poorly done though, I felt the ripple effect and came running."

"Quinn's has a weak voice," Tina said as the spoon began to glow from her ministrations, "I can mess with it easily."  
Artie nodded and he went to look at the courtyard. He quickly spotted the Duke Hudson and Lady Fabray at the edge of garden, and Guard Captain Sylvester making a beeline towards them.

He wondered if the spell meant that Quinn knew they were there and was either going to unleash the bag of pixies or she try to spare them the wrath of the Guard Captain. Either way the distance lessening between them was as alarming as red attired figures slowly infiltrated the grounds.

"I'm fine," Mercedes mumbled, breaking Artie's train of thought. Kurt darted to her side, joining Tina.

Blaine stood by awkwardly by the door watching them.

"You're not fine, you're still in a bit daze, I got most of it off but-"

"I'm fine!" Mercedes exclaimed jerking away from them, "I don't need your help, and stop trying to get me to eat you!"

"Hold up," Artie said looking away from the window, "did she just say she wants to eat us?"

"It's the spell talking," Tina said placing her hands on Mercedes's shoulders, "but she'll be fine in a few moments."

"I don't think we have time," Artie glancing back at the window, "I think we're about to have a raid."

Kurt swore softly under his breath with a quite a few colorful terms that seem in contrast to his impeccable exterior, as he joined Artie by the window.

"You two need to go," Kurt said nodding to Blaine, "we'll get Mercedes out."

"We'll make a distraction," Tina said firmly, "we're not leaving you behind."

"You better not," Kurt replied, as he opened the window, "go and make your usual grand entrance."

Artie looked skeptically at the window at Tina kicked off her shoes. "Are we going to jump?"

"Fly."

"Is that a bit risky-" was all Artie managed to say before she pushed him out the window.

* * *

The first occasion in which Tina had found her in a tight spot with the Cherrios she had faded into the background letting Mercedes take of things. She had the talent for such things and people tended to respond better to brute force anyway. But now it was time to return the favor.

The moment her feet touched the ground, she spun around sending a rush of wind into the air. Several of the guests were gently buoyed to the exterior, but more importantly it was like she set off fireworks in the middle of the party.

"Pardon me, excuse me," she muttered and elbowed her way through the crowd holding on to one of her daggers, and not drawing them as she jumped up hardening the air under her feet as she leapt over the crowd. Even as she dodged the first arrows sent her way, she remembered she wasn't doing this alone anymore.

She needn't worry though, the crowd parted as a wave of water sent them running as the fountain exploded.

"Very good idea," she said to Artie as he strolled through the water, looking out of sorts.

"That was an accident." He muttered at his drenched clothes.

"A very good one we just got ourselves-"

Tina flipped her knife out as she caught sight of the rotund man standing before them.

He looked slightly out of place with the dark smock and badge over his clothes holding a broomstick in front of him like a sword. But there was something about him that stopped Tina from taking him out like the rest of the guards.

"Terri said not to let anyone pass," he said slowly.

"But we're not anyone," Tina said quickly putting a finger of the vague sense of where she knew him from at his words, "we're someone."

The guard lowered the broom, and stood aside, "you can pass them."

Tina calmly made her away around Howard Bamboo going into the blocked off path.

"He's not too bright," Artie remarked as the passed the garden wall.

"It's part of his charm," Tina began only to stop short, finally throwing her knife into the air.

"You little blue haired witch!" Terri hissed as she held a hand to her face, "you cut my hair!"  
"Good to see you remembered me," Tina replied already reaching for her second dagger, "move away or you'll get wet." She nudged her head at Artie who belatedly took an offensive stance.

Terri laughed as she stepped away revealing Quinn and Finn. Quinn's eyes were glassy as she sat on the bench her head resting against Finn's shoulders who looked even more ridiculous with his boggled expression.

She tapped her wand against her hand, "Don't think I'll let you get off easy this time, I don't care who you work for!"

Flipping her hair over her shoulder Terri raised the wand, just as a small downpour unleashed over her head.

She screeched and she stamped her foot as she covered her face with her hands. "Howard get the carriage, my clothes are ruined we need to get out of here before I start to melt! Howard get over here!"

Terri stormed off, her helper lurking at her heels dragging the broom behind him.

"That actually worked," Artie remarked surprised. Tina didn't bother asking if it was about the spell or getting rid of the witch as she went over to Quinn and Finn.

She sung softly piercing the loose confines of the spell.

Finn sat at once, his eyes lighting up nearly knocking Quinn over.

"By George it's a beautiful day. I got a really good feeling about this. Let's run through the spell, and after that we can build a home for gnomes!"

"Bacon," Quinn murmured beside him as she stirred, "she wouldn't let me have bacon."

"Dear gods," Artie muttered, "what with all the delusion spells!"

"Lady Fabray, Duke Hudson," Tina said formally, "are you alright? What did the Witch of the East do to you?"

"Nothing," Quinn's eyes grew hard a she drew herself up, shaking of the remnants of the spell "and as kind as is for you three-"

"Four," Artie corrected as he half raised his hand. She glowered and he looked away poking his staff at the ground.

"…to visit," Quinn finished crisply as if she was never interrupted in the first place, "as I told Miss Jones it's best you forget about finding Enchantress Berry, she will not be welcomed back."

"That's pretty firm coming from the person who just cast a spell on a guest," Tina retorted.

"And I'll do it to you next," Quinn said, "but you're expecting it."

"Not exactly, placing that spell on Mercedes was taxing," Artie observed, and Tina nodded along flashing a smile of triumph at Quinn, "it's why the witch got both you and the Duke."

Quinn's eyes darted over to Artie once more, this time with interest, "Who is this? He wasn't with you before but he looks familiar."

"None of your concern," Tina said, "Tell us where Rachel went or what made her leave."

"I don't respond to threats, nor would I tell if you asked politely."

"I made her leave," Finn said sluggishly. "I told the truth and lied at the same time."

"About what?" Tina pressed pointing a knife at Quinn before she could shush him. "Lied about what?"

If she had time she would have worked harder to lessen the spell she could have instead she let him painfully drag the words about.

"I told her that her voice was all that mattered. But I was wrong she would have never gone with Puck if she did."

Puckerman. Tina almost groaned as Finn fell backwards onto the grass in a dead faint. She was hoping they wouldn't have to go looking for him. That's all the information they'd get from here. Guess she figured wrong.

Quinn smirked. "Good luck finding that failure, and get off my property before I alert the Cherrios." She gestured at the pendant at her throat. "Sylvester had been itching to get Mercedes and Kurt ever since they deflected."

Tina lowered the knife slightly. "Deflected?" she asked, "when were they on the Guard?"

"They didn't tell you?" Quinn asked sweetly. "Well we all have our secrets," she leapt to her feet knocking the dagger out of Tina's hand before she could react, "I strongly suggest you get out of here since even your blades of equality won't save you. Or your friend."

She dragged the word slowly, and if their history and her title weren't enough Tina might have turned her into a frog.

"What do you mean Ladyface is here!"

The roar sent both of them flying, but Tina moved quicker running back grabbing her knives and she shoved Artie forward.

"That's –"

"I know!" she interrupted, "I told you she could smell fear!"

She urged him on, but he stopped clapping his hands together, humming a spell. An ice wall formed along the hedges, right as Sylvester ran up with her miniature version of herself at her side . From the yell on the other side about greasy haired wizards, it seemed to be holding up.

"It's not going to last," Tina said as they turned away.

"It'll be enough until we find the others-"

A motored powered car roared through the gate, and spun sharply to a stop in front of them.

"Don't ask questions," Kurt said leaning his head out the window, "get inside!"

They scrambled inside squeezing next to Mercedes who while not as spell shocked as before lacked her particular brand of fire.

"What's going on?" Tina said as the car reared backwards just as Captain Sylvester caught sight of them.

She peered over the bench to see Blaine at the wheel, seemingly unperturbed by the fact of the Cherrios guard was after them.

"I can go as far the town limits, but after that you're on your own," Blaine said pulling a lever. A blast of light appeared out the trunk striking the guards. "I would sit if I were you," he added to Artie who was looking out the window in interest, "I can't see."

"There's a charm on this car isn't there?" Artie asked as blast took better aim and he ducked barely missing it.

Mercedes had rolled her eyes. "For the love of the divine powers that be you're going to be death of us! All this fool masquerading- wait!" She leaned forward tapping Kurt on the arm, "go back, we have to go to Matt's!"

"I know he's your friend," Kurt said quickly, "you said yourself he knows how to disappear."

"Not that you idiot, our stuff is there, including the wardrobe you nearly killed me to get!"

There was sharp intake from the front and Kurt quickly gave Blaine directions of the house.

"And after that?" Blaine asked spinning the wheel, causing the car to title sideways as the rolled between a wagon and fence. "Where are you going?"

"To find," Tina said, "the knight errant."

"You better not be talking about who I think you are," Mercedes said vehemently. "He's an ass, and a cheat."

"Not to mention," Kurt said dryly, "he threw me in rubbish bins when we were younger."

"You said knight," Artie asked, "but it doesn't sound like that to me."

"Puck was a Knight housed in the Hudson duchy," Mercedes said, "until certain events-"

"Robbing a bank and hijacking a caravan, placing a noble in danger, plowing through the female population at court, and apparently he got someone with child-" Kurt cut in breezily.

"…meant he left in disgrace," Mercedes continued, "but his notoriety makes him easy to find."


	5. Card Games

[5]

* * *

"Who's this new beau of yours?"

Kurt look up from the amulet Blaine had given tucking it into his pocket as Mercedes leaned against the rail next to them.

Puck lived in one of the Seven Cites, accessible only by water due to the risk of entering from the other side. From Matt's home, they managed to catch a ferry only to have to double back when they realized Cherrios were on it. Since their usual guardian had all but disappeared it was lucky Kurt had struck up a friendship with Blaine. For he as well as some eager companions of his were more than willingly to aid them, only asking Kurt of a simple task.

It was a promise that made him giddy as a young girl with a crush, a feeling he hadn't allowed himself to have in a long time.

"New beau?" Kurt replied, "I only made new friend."

"Right." Mercedes turned as she got a better look at the other passengers on the ferry. No one appeared that threatening though it was a chance they couldn't take given the circumstances.

"He seemed nice though, but I don't think he was from around here."

Kurt nodded along, recognizing when she was attempting to use a fishing technique. It was something he was grown used to growing up in court and later when the infiltrated the Cherrios. But he let her try to pry questions out of him, because it showed she still cared enough to try.

Kurt wasn't fond of change, at least not change he couldn't control. He was taken aback Rutherford's place where it seemed the man who knew just about everything risked blowing a cover kept under wraps.

"So Rutherford really did help all those times?"

"How do you think I got us in with the Cherrios?" Mercedes asked, "He knew people on the inside. He also was able to give me profiles on the bounty hunters that were after Tina. Apparently they were in the guard too for some time."

"Really?" Kurt was faintly surprised given how proficient they were in magic. "That means Sylvester's not above to using magic for her own ends. This is useful."

"Infiltrating again?" Mercedes asked lightly, "is that what you're going to do once we get Rachel?"

She was fishing again, but there was slight urgency behind her words. "I told you before, I'm going to up a magical vestment shop. Traveling with Artie made me realize that wizards are not only need fashion in their lives, but a few wards built into outfits can save everyone from being cursed."

"Wizard?" Her eyebrows rose up as she made the term into a title. "You think he accidentally casted amnesia on himself?"

"Have you not noticed any spell not dealing with water blows up in his face?"

"Still a better track record that half your plans," Mercedes teased.

"You swore you never mention-"

"I did no such thing!"

"It was over drinks when we managed to get brought on as students with Schue," Kurt said, "you got drunk."

"I don't remember," she murmured, and Kurt believed her. She really couldn't hold her drinks, and it was after Puck freed the pixies about the joining of the Hummel and Hudson lands.

He liked being his own person a the freedom traveling gave him in spades. With the promise Blaine offered him, Kurt didn't even have to go back to the Capital, he can trust the others to deliver Rachel. Because it wasn't about them finding out his noble roots but more on the fact it meant Tina might take it the wrong way, since he gave her a hard time.

"Do you think we left them alone long enough?"

Mercedes pointed where Artie and Tina stood on the other end of the ferry leaning against the rail just like them, but standing much closer together and from the looks of it talking more intimately as well. Tina laughed playfully nudging him the arm.

"Should we do something about it?" Mercedes asked just about reading Kurt's mind.

"No," Kurt replied, "because you want to play fairy godmother again."

"I got my license revoked," Mercedes retorted.

Whether it was good intention of not, Kurt was eager to let whatever was going on happen because he knew better than anyone romantic entanglements was a good distraction.

"They work well together, and if they're fine without us messing with them than it's easier."

Easier in the sense it was nice to have someone he didn't have to be so elusive in hiding his tracks.

They wondered over to the end of the ferry as Tina held out a faded picture out to Artie.

"Don't be silly," she grinned, "Four is a power number, we fell apart since there was only seven of us instead of eight," Tina sat on the railing, "and that Schue doesn't distribute things evenly."

"Hardly ever is more appropriate," Kurt interjected, as he and Mercedes joined them. "I'm surprised we learned anything."

"You're forgetting the power of four," Tina said firmly.

"And?" Mercedes asked, "We know that how?"

"To find Rachel," Artie said handing the picture back to Tina, "we have to meet all the members of your old group to find out what went wrong. We spoke to Lady Quinn, so we have to find Knight Puckerman and the Duke of Hudson."

"Wait," Mercedes frowned, "we met the Duke, I talked to him personally."

"He wasn't the Duke," Artie said with some conviction.

Mercedes turned to Tina who just shrugged.

"How do you know that," Kurt asked after clearing his throat trying to keep his expression unchanged.

"I just do." Artie said slowly, "it's just a feeling I have."

"From a picture?" Kurt asked skeptically. "I've heard more convincing gypsy tales."

"Explain why Lady Quinn put a spell on Mercedes."

"I haven't thought about that," Tina said with a small gasp.

Kurt however was suspicious not because of the assumption was off, but how he tied everything together so neatly without suspicion. "Explain," he said tersely.

"Do you remember your conversation at all?" Artie asked Mercedes, "You were talking to him for a bit in the garden before you went inside."

"We talked about-" Mercedes started, then she blinked, "we talked about….cake?"

"That doesn't sound like a conversation I want to remember," Kurt remarked.

"Why would Quinn mess with her memory?" Tina asked.

"It's not a memory charm, it sounds like a block on what the conversation was," Artie said thoughtfully, "keeping the framework of the memory."

"Ironic," Kurt remarked dryly, "you remembered that."

"But you can't do that," Tina pressed as Kurt closed his eyes, "not with any of the basic magics, at least Quinn's not capable of it. She's good with mirror magic but nothing more than that."

"She turned her loyalty to Captain Sylvester," Kurt said, "she probably got a boost of HBIC from that."

Tina looked about to say something, but refrained from it as Artie frowned. "That's not any type of affinity I heard of unless I was mistaken."

"Cool your dragons," Mercedes said slightly bemused, "and as much as I love listening to chattering about theory, "You and theories of magic, as much as I don't mind hearing them I just want to know what your theory on finding Puck is."

"That's very simple," Tina said pulling out her trusty map, "we go where the games are. Doesn't he claim he's a cardshark, if he stops playing he dies?"

"He didn't say that, but you can think that," Kurt said jiggling his foot slightly, "just keep thinking that."

"Games, as in cards?" Artie asked, "does that mean we have to play to get to him?"

"That's a great idea," Mercedes interjected, "but Tina doesn't have a pokerface, I hate playing cards with Puck, and Kurt is a notorious cheat."

"And he's not likely to tell us anything," Tina added with a bright smile, "so that means…"

Artie's face fell, and Mercedes laughed at his expression. Even Kurt managed to smirk at bit.

"We're so glad we adopted you," Kurt buffed his nails against his shirt, "you get to talk to all the people who are likely to maim or seriously injure us. Just don't get put under a spell too."

"How do I suppose I do that?" Artie remarked.

"I'll teach you how to play cards."

* * *

"I think," Tina said to Mercedes as she pointed at the map, "our adventures got us back on track."We're closer to the border than we started."

"It's funny how things work out like this." Mercedes said, "too bad it couldn't happened before. Should have known Quinn would have fessed up. They hated each other, or at least Quinn hated Rachel, Rachel was just oblivious to anyone's opinion of her."

"Do you think we did that?" Tina asked, "She did try to be nice after she accidentally gave us the wrong directions to Fairy Godmother Holliday."

"We ended up in a crack house," Mercedes retorted. "There was no accident about that."

"It was inactive though!"

Mercedes chucked despite herself, "is there such a thing as inactive crackhouse?"

"It' was an honest mistake."

"Like listening to Kurt's advice on weather?"

They both looked up the rain that pounded on the ward that surrounded them like a dome.

"I told you it wouldn't hurt to learn about wards." Tina grinned.

"It helps that we were the ones setting up opposed to Artie doing them."

"He's not that bad," Tina began.

Mercedes held up a hand cutting her off, "He's probably talented, but if he can't remember which spell is which I rather listen to Kurt's crazy plans."

"What is his plan for getting us to talk to Puck? I know we talked about card games, but it takes a lot of work to get there first."

"I don't know much before it's going to be a bit of work," Mercedes said.

"Kurt's just a tad bit overdramatic," Tina replied folding the map.

"How do you keep doing that?" Kurt yelled throwing the cards down.

Mercedes mouthed to Tina, "A tad?"

"You're emotionally agitated," Artie replied. He ducked as a handful of cards were thrown in his face. But the cards didn't hit as they flipped over and flew into Tina's hand.

"I'm surprised you even know how to play cards properly," she said before she whistled sending the cards back to Kurt, "don't you cheat?"

"I know how to play the right, it's more fun to fool those idiots."

"Talk like that got us run out of Faise," Mercedes said sitting down on the ground between them. "Fold me in." She looked over to Artie, "you'll be playing in a group and it is best you know how to play the right way since Puck's games attract a large varied crowd."

"Trust me," Kurt muttered as he shuffled the cards, "he already knows how to play."

"But I don't know how I know," Artie quipped.

Kurt's lip twitched, and he put a card down. "Your move."

Tina watched Artie as they played the game, often paying more attention to him than the cards in her hand. She didn't know much more of cards that she had gleaned from Kurt and Mercedes, which didn't say much since she lost to both of them frequently. But he played differently though. Mercedes who kept her other hand over her cards so no one could see them and Kurt shuffled his cards around, always moving and fidgeting, trying to distract from his main purpose. More than once Tina caught a glimpse of Artie's cards though his intentions for them weren't clear. As for herself, she wasn't sure how she played cards, she did deliberate too long on her next move.

As she was contemplating her next move, Kurt yelped, "Again!"

"We just started," Mercedes said gaping, "how did you win?"

"You're a cheat!" Kurt declared pointing at him as several cards fell out his sleeve.

"Maybe you're good at this game because your memories are coming back!" Tina said happily.

Artie smiled back at her, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Kurt clapped his hands together. "This is perfect. I wonder if you can remember how to play Chairs and Ladders too."

"Kurt," Mercedes chided, "we aren't doing that again."

"Are you talking about when the two of you infiltrated the gambling ring in Garonche?" Tina asked intrigued.

"Infiltrated, please." Mercedes rolled her eyes as she shuffled all the cards, "Kurt had his eyes set on a wandering bard."

"Sam of Evans had talent with musicology," Kurt protested. "Great talent."

"You're lying," Tina retorted, "it's not even a real affinity."

"Not real at all," Artie chimed in as Kurt grew affronted.

"Guys," Mercedes said as she shook her head, "that's not the talent he's talking about."

Tina made a face, and Kurt gently kicked Mercedes who was chuckling under her breath.

"Fine," he rolled his eyes, "I fancied him."

"He wasn't interested though," Mercedes said cutting the cards, "he turned you down."

"His loss," Kurt stiffly as Tina and Artie laughed in the background. "Let's play, because you're going down my absented minded wizard friend."

"Shall we place bets," Artie asked, "stories from your illustrative pasts?"

"You don't have stories to tell," Mercedes pointed out, "no memory, no past, no history."

"I predict," Artie add as he mockingly straighten his collar, "no loses in my future."

"You're on," Mercedes said, slapping the first card down.

Naturally because she said it, Mercedes was the first to lose and she protested the terms of the bet until it was finally pulled out of her.

"You have to tell," Tina said gesturing to Artie, "or we'll cast a truth spell."

"Truth spells don't exist…"

Tina waved hand cutting Artie off.

Rolling her eyes Mercedes replied, "I can't go back home, because I killed a man."

Kurt snorted, and werelights floating above them flickered. "That's the worst lie I ever heard. Besides didn't you say once someone made a doppelganger of yourself?"

"Really," Tina asked, "the night we had to bust out of jail you told me it was because of a gnome invasion."

"You got put in jail?" Artie asked.

"For stealing, and we were drunk," Mercedes cut in, "let's play the next round."

"You didn't say why you left."

Mercedes shuffled the cards swiftly, "My older brother died at sea, I need a change of pace since he was the only family I had left." She slammed the cards down. "Next round."

Kurt promptly lost the next round, and didn't crack under Tina and Mercedes's consistent pestering.

"This is all very unfair," Kurt said glancing at his nails, "you're cheating in some way and you don't have a past to tell."

"Now you're putting up resistance since you're in coal bed," Mercedes pressed, "didn't say that a few moments ago."

"We all have our secrets, we only have to reveal them if need be."

"I already had mine aired out for you all to see," Tina pointed out, "It's only fair if you two as well."

"Not willingly," Kurt retorted, "the exact situation was your past came and snatched you away and hired witches to throw spells at us."

"No names then," Artie interrupted cheerfully, "just the plain facts on what led you here."

Kurt met his gaze before he said abruptly, "My father remarried, and I'm quite convinced my new step-brother is intent on taking my place in the family home."

"So you ran away instead of sticking to your inheritance?" Artie asked intrigued. He was rewarded with a particularly venomous expression from Kurt. He backed his hands raised in shielding gesture.

Tina reached over and shuffled the cards, despite the odds of it being her turn to lose and reveal something about her past, to their collective surprise it was Artie who lost.

Kurt eyed the cards suspiciously. "Didn't expect that to happen. I think you're cheating."

Tina tugged at Kurt's sleeve, and few cards fell out. "You're the one cheating," she retorted.

"I didn't say I wasn't," Kurt remarked taking the cards back, "but there's other ways like rigging the game."

Artie grinned "I lost, why would I cheat to lose?"

"Exactly," Mercedes added giving him a significant look, "Kurt you need to calm down."

"Think of it as practice," Tina replied.

"I don't understand," Kurt grumbled, "why you so good at this?"

"I played a lot cards games after the accident," Artie said absently.

"I told you," Kurt said in undertone to Mercedes, "he did it to himself."

"What accident?" Tina asked.

His expression didn't alter leading Tina to wonder if it just slipped out or he had been waiting for the right opportunity to mention.

She had feeling it was bit of both.

"Another round?"

* * *

It wasn't apparent just how devious Kurt was being until they were outside the door. Mercedes had termed Kurt's elaborate plans as "Parachute Pants" but in this case Tina thought the setup appropriate.

Sitting at the bar in one of her more elaborate dresses, Tina played the role of wealthy patron as twirled pocket watch back and forth.

They had to play this role, not just for them to not be noticed by Puck, but because of the scarlet uniformed guard that was taking their seats in the crowd. Even if she felt like a damn fool it was better to be curled and primped up to avoid suspicion.

"This is not good," Kurt said he sat down at the bar next to her.

He turned slightly, not quite familiarly, but close enough he could chat without drawing attention.

"The game or the guard?"

"The guard," Kurt said absently, "though if Artie keeps winning we might have a problem."

"Wasn't that the idea," Tina asked, "Mercedes said Puck keeps an eye on high rollers, he was supposed to get drawn in."

"Not even if he gets his head cut off before then," Kurt muttered.

"I'm surprised," Tina said as absently twirling the liquid in the drink, "you hate practicing with him. It sounds like you care."

"I swear that is staff enchanted or something. Though he could be an assassin."

Tina put her down her drink. "Excuse me?"

Kurt looked at her pointedly much like Mercedes had but more direct as it was his manner. "That "accident" he mentioned might not necessarily mean him. You don't know who he is, don't invest in fantasy of what you want him to be."

"I thought you liked him," Tina asked, "why can't you just trust he is what he says he is?"

Kurt didn't answer and as he suddenly his leave, striding across the room quickly and efficiently. Why Tina soon saw as conversation in the room dialed down a bit.

Puck had entered the room and the pathway to the center table cleared as he honed on it with the intent of a shark.

He had changed little since he had departed in disgrace, the only change being the reappearance of the strange hairstyle he was so fond of. The table in which the card game was going paused as Puck took a seat and was folded into the game.

As the moved to get a better view, her breath caught in throat when she realized who was sitting at the other the end of the bar.

The Duke of Hudson. But not like what she knew she saw at Quinn's party. His face was haggard and there was several weeks' worth of beard on his face, and his clothes were traveled stained and wrinkled. And he enjoying the horrible tavern food like hadn't seen a hot meal in a long time.

Artie was right, that wasn't the Duke at the party, a realization that meant two very troubling things. One that there was a doppelganger employed that was putting the state of the kingdom at risk and two that Artie was getting memory back and probably had a more illustrious past than it appeared. She wasn't sure which concerned her more the possibility of political uprising or the fact she wasn't concerned about that possibility at all, but she pushed the thought aside as she took a seat by the Duke.

"What are you doing this far south?"

Finn jumped at once, and if Tina didn't know for sure that it was Finn, she knew it surely when he stopped from drawing his sword as he caught sight of her.

"Tina?"

She nodded as he sat back down.

"I'm looking for Rachel," Tina said at once not noticing as he deflated a bit. "Are you?"

"Rachel won't be found, she can't be found. Give up."

Tina frowned and wondering perhaps Artie was right all along, they needed to know why the enchantress had fled so if they had any hopes of bringing her back, and even finding out why might lead to her in the first place.

"Why won't she be found?" Tina asked. "Has she given up magic?"

"Rachel?" Finn said, "She'll never give up singing."

"But," Tina gently prodded. "Why would she leave? She stood up to the Cherrios, protested against Sylvester's bans despite the fact it was making her laughingstock in the kingdom, powerful enchantress or not."

"She told me," Finn said, "I had to choose my popularity as a Duke or her."

Tina was glad of training that kept her from reacting at that. She knew that they were starry eyed, but what he just implied…

"You turned her down, you told her no."

"Actually," Finn squirmed in his seat, "I never told her, she found I took a roll in a hayloft with witch earlier that year, and they was kind of a fight-"

Tina's wasn't sure what her face was showing, but the Duke of Hudson had backed away. "You're eyes are glowing red."

"It happens," Tina said flatly, "what happened after all that?"

"I don't know," Finn's expression darkened, "but she went off with St. James."

"I should know that name shouldn't I?" Tina asked as Finn clearly waited for reaction, "but I don't know."

"You do," Finn reminded her, "remember when the visiting sorcerer came to speak to the Grand Vizier, he was from Carmel."

"Jesse." Tina whispered as it all came back to her, "you accused him of trying to steal realm secrets."

"I thought he was using Rachel to get to me," Finn said remarked, "It was just before I took on the tittles of the land. I thought her actions had another motive."

"You were wrong," Tina said with nod, "and you accused her of it."

"If," Finn rubbed his neck, avoiding her eye, "that what call threatening to report she was committing high treason."

"You did what?"

Tina wasn't sure she yelled but he jumped up a bit off his seat.

"I didn't report it though! But she had already left with St. James by then. They went off to seek the Witch of the West."

"Fizz and sparkles," Tina sputtered. "Fizz, sparkles, and splat!"

"I heard the Wicked titled was unearned," Finn offered.

"It means she might not be in Carmel after all we just traveled all over the kingdom from nothing!"

"But she could be," Finn said rising to his feet, "I can go check!"

"No," Tina retorted, "you will go back to your duchy and do your job. Sylvester pushing the bill a bit too hard, and without your presence it might actually go through instead of a double."

Finn looked even more bewildered than he did earlier. "How did you know?"

"Mercedes met your doppelganger and Quinn cast a spell on her when she found out."

"I told Sam not to talk Quinn!" Finn exclaimed.

"Sam," Tina echoed recalling the name, "he's that bard, never mind," she said as Finn was about to answer her, "Because of the anti-magic bill, you need to get back home. Let us handle Rachel we were tasked to find her in the first place."

"But," he protested, "She doesn't like any of you. She said you didn't appreciate her talent. "

"And you think you can convince her otherwise?" Tina said rising to her feet, "go home Finn, we have everything under control."

An arrow shot passed embedding itself into the bar. For a moment she thought it was the witch bounty hunters returning for her, when she recognized the marks on the fletching to be Kurt's.

"Kurt's here." Finn said, surprised, "that "we" you kept referring to, is my brother in your group?"

Tina went cold. "Your brother?"

"Well stepbrother," Finn admitted, "I hadn't seen him in ages after I left to go -" His words trailed off, "you didn't know did you?"

"No." Tina grunted, though she wasn't surprised at how cleanly it explained everything. Everything from Kurt's increase of shiftiness in populous areas to the bit he told the night before.

She left Finn where he sat confused and slightly concerned as made her way through the press of people in the tavern who was watching the card game eagerly. Tina peered around looking for Artie along the table, expecting to win in the same accidentally way they had practiced, but instead he was missing from the circle. Puck was there and judging by the pile of chips by his side was racking in quite a bit.

Tina was considering how much of her morals she could use by breaking it up, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She turned her slightly to see no one, except for a familiar staff sticking out around the corner of the bar.

"Aren't you supposed to be getting information out from him?" Tina asked.

But Artie shook his head, and gestured for her to follow him out of the tavern. In the shadows of alleyway they found Kurt and Mercedes arguing as they waited for them.

"You're overreacting," Kurt said, and his bravo slipped as Mercedes began to hum. "Not here!"

"We're drawing attention right now," Artie remarked dryly.

Unsurprisingly he was met with scorn.

"Why did you bolt like that," Kurt said, "you drew Puck out! You had him."

"In your plan you never got to the part in which I managed to convince him to tell us what we need to know."

Kurt opened his mouth to retort, and Tina hastily intervened.

"I managed to find a lead," she strode down the street leaving the others no choice to follow. "Rachel went to seek out the Witch of the West."

Tina stumbled as the street began to shake under her feet.

"We just came from the west," Mercedes said quietly, "and from the east, and from the north, and in circles you keep driving us in months!"

"We're not being tracked anymore," Artie said, and as they all stared at him, "I figured out the code on the maps. Besides I put up wards. "

"The point is," Kurt said taking advantage of the pause, "We're at the border of Carmel, why do when have to cross the kingdom on whim? And who's the source anyway?"

Tina met his eyes. "The Duke of Hudson."

Kurt blanched. "We should go west."

"Kurt!" Mercedes's mouth dropped, "it could be waste of time!" He shrugged and Mercedes rounded on Artie who held up his hands in protest:

"I have no idea where anything is."

"You've been studying the map!" Mercedes yelled, "and you probably know more than you let on!" She rounded on them, "you have to give me one good reason to seek out the Witch of the West!"

"Good luck doing that," a voice drawled from behind them, "she's not there."

Behind them stood the infamous former knight himself smirking as if he still wore the coat of arms. He was dressed plainly like the patrons he bamboozled for funds, but the sword at his side was still an impressive marker.

"You really think I didn't notice you guys, what do you take me for an idiot?"

"We do," Kurt said, but Puck merely smirked.

"Then why come to my shark den?"

Tina glanced at Kurt and Mercedes both who looked had quite a bit to say.

"You don't happen to know where Enchantress Berry is do you?" Artie asked.

"She's not in the West, I know that much," Puck said brusquely, "what does the lot of you want with her?"

"Politics," Tina said as Kurt added, "none of your concern."

They eyed each and Mercedes set forward working the charm. "What do you know that we don't?"

"Nothing."

Tina stormed up towards Puck, but Artie pulled her back as Mercedes moved in for the kill.

"If it was nothing," Mercedes said to the former knight, "you wouldn't be out here. Here in the disgrace, away from your family, your liege lord," she paused before she added, "Lady Fabray."

The amused smirk faded off of Puck's face, and he hunched his shoulders glancing at the tavern.

"I didn't choose to come here. Sylvester forced me, it was either that or become like Tanaka, and I just couldn't have that happen." At their silences he added brusquely, "Corcoran. Go to Corcoran and you'll find Berry. That was where she said she taking Beth. Bringing her back is your own problem."


	6. Puzzles and Traps

[6]

* * *

Puck's tip turned out to be the most helpful thing they encountered since they started the quest. It was both very vexing and somewhat expected. Not only was it good tip, it tossed in something else they didn't know.

"Is Beth who I think she is?" Kurt said as they made camp at dusk.

"The baby that was rumored to have been conceived," Mercedes said, "but it explains everything. I knew something was up."

"I don't know why you're worried about that, when it has nothing to do with our quest." Tina said as she poured over the map she had purchased. She claimed it was because she couldn't find Corcoran on the map, but suspected she did it so they wouldn't have a look at it.

Mercedes was always in rush to find Rachel and go back to the capital, but Tina was pouring in a inordinate amount of energy into ever since they left the city.

"So have you found our mysterious place, or should we let Artie doing a search spell? Wait," Kurt paused dramatically, "that's an even worse idea."

"It won't blow up." Artie protested.

"You said that, about targets you conjured up," Kurt said as he yanked down his hat over his head, "you burned my eyebrows off."

Tina looked up, the frown on her face disappearing, "You burned his eyebrows off? And you're still alive?"

"He's exaggerating," Mercedes remarked from her positioned lying on the ground her fingers interlocked over her stomach, "they were singed."

"I'm scarred!"

"The fire was your fault," Artie replied reasonably,

"Do we need him," Kurt asked, causing Mercedes to laugh, "because I swear-"

"It's a castle," Tina exclaimed from her spot, "not a person or a city. That's why we couldn't find it before."

"You mean you," Artie said poking the fire, "since none of have been able to touch the map."

From the other side of the campfire, Tina fixed him a glare that was lost in the growing darkness.

"She's trying to keep us blindsided," Mercedes muttered to Kurt, "we could still be going west."

Tina abruptly shoved the map in her bag and whistled a shielding charm before she strode off into the sparse woods.

Artie's eyes followed Tina as she passed, something Kurt was willingly to let pass as another mattered quickly concerning him.

"What's out west?" Kurt asked Mercedes, "You seemed more troubled by that now than our lack of progress."

Mercedes pursed her lips, but it was Artie who answered:

"Her home. Or at least in the parts west that aren't part of McKinley."

She looked askance in his direction but unlike Tina didn't bolt and run. "I'm from that direction, and I don't want to go back without cause." Her tone added to the growing tension around the campfire.

Something had shifted, and Kurt was struggling to figure out just what exactly.

He had his suspicions. First namely the conversation Tina had with his step-brother, the real Duke of Hudson. Kurt had known a doppelganger was there at Quinn's party but had no idea Finn was actually fulfilling the fool claim he made in his father's Hall, to find the fallen star. Something he was quiet serious about given the series of missives Kurt had received.

Second, Mercedes always been adamant about finishing the quest as soon as possible she disappeared for a brief moments in the tavern instead of keeping an eye on Artie like she said. It went against her usual behavior and as the reason opposed to his panic of seeing Tina with his brother that made himself send the warning arrow.

But least of all….

Kurt watched with a measured eye as Artie rose to his feet on the pretense of looking for more firewood, even they though they both knew he was off to look for Tina. Kurt was quite certain of one thing. Between the bits he gathered so far he was almost certain of his true identity.

* * *

Tina spun around in the small clearing, taking swipes with her knives. For a moment she wished for her sword, but it was buried in the bottom of her pack and she wasn't going back for it after she stormed out. But her knives would work well enough to dispense the growing tension in her body.

She spun around and going to the practices and modes that she had learned since taking her rites, going through the three stages of the koi , only to stop when she heard a snap of branch behind her and rustle of leaves.

Panting for breath, Tina was tempted to toss her knife, but Artie was the least offensive of others at the moment.

"You fail as a tracker."

"I'll keep it in mind when I want to pursue a new career."

He sat down at the base of the tree, the staff resting on his knees. Artie patted the ground next to him, and with slight hesitation she sat down some distance away.

They sat in silence a bit the stream of moonlight casting enough illumination in the clearly. Tina twirled one of her knives through her fingers, an action that made Artie slide a bit further from her as he eyed the action.

She tried not to but she smirked anyway.

Seeing this as an opening, Artie asked, "What's the horrible truth you uncovered? The Duke murdered Rachel with her bare hands and her body is hidden away in the castle?"

The smirked twisted into a smile as she continued to twirl the knife. "Rachel ran because she felt a personal betrayal. I can guess from the facts I was told, but it's in short a love affair that messed up by politics and misunderstandings."

"The Chronicles of the Scarlet Waylander in a nutshell."

"You were right though." Tina admitted, "We should have looked into the reason Rachel left, instead of thinking she left because she felt like it."

"Why didn't you ask that questions before? It's hardly unoriginal."

Tina stopped twirling the knife and stuck it back in her boot. Leaning forward she rested her chin on her knees.

"To be honest I didn't care. I was bored. I hadn't left the capital in three years." She grimaced at what she learned from others, "Kurt and Mercedes probably have different reasons."

"Kurt doesn't like Rachel," Artie observed.

"Not really after they faced off in a Wizard's duel, but there's probably another reason."

"If you weren't a Dreamwalker what did you want to do?"

The abrupt shift of the subject was unexpected as much as it was a calculated move. It was probably the reason he came out of here in the first place.

"A shadowdancer," Tina admitted, "but you knew that already right?" Artie nodded. "I suspect the tip off was the knives."

"Kurt did mention you really good with them and he's right you're amazing."

She smiled accepting the compliment, "why did you want to know?"

Artie began to nervously tap on the staff. "Shadowdancers use a type of magic similar to healing right?

Tina nodded. "I have more affinity than Mercedes at least." She looked over at him wondering how he'd react. "How many spells do you use to walk? I noticed, we all noticed, Kurt even thinks you're merefolk."

"Well," Artie said self-deprecatingly, "he's wrong about that one. Just a normal human that screwed up big time. Most of the spells allow me mobility, and rest to combat the pain that comes from it."

"Why do you bother with it then," Tina said trying to figure about why he was here. But she wasn't good at fishing for information as Mercedes was.

"A wheelchair's hardly practical for running after trains."

So baldly stated it too her aback at bit. Not just because of the details, but because she was telling him about it.

"Why do you want to know about my healing affinity?"

He leaned in nervously, "I wanted to know if you wouldn't mind learning some of them. I'm afraid of them collapsing whenever we do wind up finding the Enchantress. You never know what lies ahead."

The gap was closing between as they sat shoulders brushing.

"You trust with that? My spells could collapse just as easily."

She realized abruptly even in the faint darkness she could tell his eyes were blue.

"I trust you."

She wasn't surprised when he kissed her, she was just surprised that she didn't mind it all.

_The clans didn't take well to outsiders._

As quick as the thought crossed her mind, Tina jumped to her feet.

"We probably should head back. They'll probably think a dragon has grabbed us," she pulled a strained smile, "something that's actually not much of a stretch."

Artie climbed to his feet much slower than usual, and must have thought the darkness hid the looked of pain that flashed briefly across his face when he stood up.

But Tina had very good eyesight in the dark, and she quietly hooked her arm into his and ignored his protests as they made their way back to the campfire.

* * *

The next day's travel passed swiftly once Tina let them all view the map, and progressed with little argument as it became clear where they were headed.

Mercedes stared up at the mountain in the distance with prickling sense of déjà vu coming across her. There was something uncomfortably unfamiliar with the magical signature coming off it as well. And the closer they got she recognized the signs of a trials of enchantment.

"We can't go around it?" Mercedes asked in vain that night as the camped at foothills.

"No," Tina said firmly, "we'll just have to proceed with trials."

Mercedes deflated a bit, poking at the stew in her plate, "I was worried you'll say that."

"At least there won't be any unexpected crossing with the guard," Artie said cheerfully.

"I rather battle their twenty best mages," Kurt grumbled "then face traps."

"That's why I said at least."

"Did you accidentally curse yourself with perpetual optimism too?" Kurt retorted, but there wasn't much bite in his words.

Discussion soon fell on a strategy to avoid the traps and the possible ones.

Mercedes tuned them all out her mind fluttering back to the perilous trip she had taken on her own. Bewitched mountains were a good way to ensure even further protection of a kingdom security. Normal mountains usually deterred normal travelers, as magic users often had their ways around such things. But bewitchments were quite popular to deter all types of users. Using traps to test both mentally, physically, and magically. Although she was going with a group this time, she felt as frantic as the first time unnerved at the sight before her.

"It could be worse," Artie said in response to the faces Kurt and Tina were making, "we're not even storming a castle."

"I don't even want to think about that." Tina moaned, "knowing Rachel it could be endless."

"But do you really know her?"

"You keep asking that question in different ways," Mercedes said, "I'm not sure if you're doing it to be annoying or you don't like our answers."

He made a show of considering, "both."

It was a conversation she remembered as the four of them traveled to the base of the mountain only to stop short by the usual suspect.

"What," Mercedes said as Kurt ducked behind a tree, "is your problem now?"

"What are you children doing here?"

The soft rumble of the voice caught them all off guard as a giant towered over them her expression fierce and unforgiving. She patted her club menacingly against the palm of her hands, as the giantess narrowed her eyes at them and snarled.

Mercedes gulped, and knew without a doubt that this was a very bad idea.

"More tea?" Beiste asked, glancing at the pot, "I think its tea."

Tina politely held out her cup, with the others refrained.

She had been on quite a few interesting adventures along this quest but sitting inside a giant's home, a half-giant no less was something she never thought would happen.

It was Artie who got them here as he offered an explanation Beiste seemed to take on with stride. Tina would dare say the giantess doted on him, but that might have been a stretch given she seemed kinder than appearance deemed.

"I did recall a young enchantress coming this way. The companion with her got the impression we needed to duel each other." Beiste nudged the club resting against the wall. "I may not know much about magic, but no one tells the Panther what to do."

Tina made a show of blowing her tea as Beiste pulled up a chair next to him. "But what are you four doing out here? There's a border patrol two days south from here."

"We're looking for that enchantress you said passed by, because we reason to believe she didn't go all the way into Carmel," Kurt said.

"And it's easier to cut through the mountains," Mercedes added

"It be easier to go the long way around," Beiste replied, "you're asking for trouble, I have a tough skin against magic, but the stuff that comes off the mountainside makes my hair curl."

"What kind of magic?" Artie asked.

"Don't know, don't care, but I wouldn't mess with it. But there's a castle on the ridge that lights up at night."

"A castle!"

"I take it," the giantess said amused, "if you're that excited by that, you'd be over the damn moon about a shortcut."

"Shortcut?" Kurt eyebrows were raised, "what do you mean by that?"

* * *

Kurt was kissing the ground, when Tina was gently placed on the summit edge by the helpful giant.

The giantess had carried each of them up the mountain, batting the wards and spells with her club as she made her way. Kurt apparently was a bit difficult since he had a thing about heights.

"Thank you," Tina said.

"No problem, just tell who's ever up there to stop with the fireworks. I thought it was dragon up there before I got a closer look. And look out for your friends, it looks like something wrong with him."

Kurt stood up hastily, coughing into his sleeve.

"Good luck."

Tina waved as Beiste descended the mountain grateful for not having to climbing all way up to get this far.

Below them nestled in the valley between the mountains was the castle, surrounded by gardens in an unusual systematical shape.

"No bridge in sight," Artie commented, "and it's quite a fall."

"Don't worry about," Kurt muttered rubbing his hands together, "let's do this in style and storm the castle."

"You've been saying that for a while," Artie asked, "am I missing something?"

"We usually do this sort of thing," Mercedes said, "climb buildings, scale rooftops, or at least they do, I'm not suicidal."

"There's probably about several levels deep of spells, if you can see the light at night," Artie asked, "and you want to attack it head on?"

"Why not?" Kurt shrugged.

He laughed as he leaned against the rock edge, "You guys are fun."

"I'm serious," Kurt retorted.

Tina and Artie exchanged glances, and she smiled.

Quietly she sung a few notes under her breath, and the loose stones by their feet flew towards the castle only to vaporize as it hit a ward.

"Shards," Mercedes whispered as Kurt turned the color of milk.

"Still want to storm the castle?" Artie asked.

"Shut up." Kurt said without single note of conviction. "You come up with a plan instead."

"We storm the castle," Artie said as Kurt glared at him, "by breaking the ward around it."

"I see," Kurt said flatly, "tell me more."

Mercedes turned towards Tina. "This is going to take a while. Shall we try a few experiments of our own?"

"Thought you never ask."

The girls slid down the mountainside, Mercedes riding a wave of stone while Tina flew down after her. Still on the ledge Kurt paced around alternating between pushing Artie off and letting him walk him through whatever scenario he was talking about.

"What's do I know about Rachel?" Kurt echoed, staring out at the castle. He watched as together as Mercedes and Tina tried to smash through the ward, both with pure magic and the landscape around them. Each of their effort failed despite their enthusiasm, the rebounds lighting the air around them. "She's loud, obnoxious, I was glad to see her disappear."

"Other than that what do you think of?"

_Being part of something special makes you special!_

"Stars," Kurt whispered as he stared at the gardens, thinking of the gleaming illusions Rachel filled the room when she was making a grand speech. Stars were a metaphor for what they could be, what they could do together with just the five of them, but that was before Quinn and Puck came and ruined the dynamic of the group…..

Kurt stared hard at the gardens, suddenly scrambling up the mountain side for a better view as it suddenly clicked "Stars! 'Cedes! Tina!" He yelled waving his hands, " aim for the corners of the garden! It's weak spots of the wards!"

"How you figure that?" Mercedes yelled back up the mountain.

"It's shaped like a star!"

The girls exchanged looks and Tina jumped into the air, gliding over to get a better aim at the other side.

"Brilliant," Artie whispered, "that's a shape I wouldn't have thought of."

"Rachel has a certain a vanity," Kurt remarked trying not ruffle his feathers too much at the boost of his pride of figuring it out first, "we just have to see in the points are weak enough to be affected."

The sudden burst of light from that side gave evidence Tina had managed to disrupt the base. Evidence that was followed up swiftly by the rippling of the ground some distance away. Another corner was taken out by a cascade of ice, as Artie slide down the valley, patches of ice appearing under his feet.

Kurt watched as the three of the lopped around each other aiming for a corner to strike next. For moment it was stalemate as wall of ice kept blocking Tina, until Mercedes aimed a few well place strikes with her hammer that causing them to jump apart while she took out a corner.

"Hey!" Kurt yelled jumping down risking scuffing up his boots, "Leave a corner for me!"

Kurt drew back an arrow, reciting a spell and struck the outlying garden wall with a fiery arrow.

At once the outline of a dome filled the sky until it shattered, wisps of magic flying everywhere. With the disappearance of the dome, the castle and garden remained, but a bridge had suddenly emerged in the wash of magic at the of the mountain ledge.

Joining his friends on the bridge, Tina once again tried her test. The rock flew nearly striking a statue on the bridge.

"And," Tina grinned, "we're in."

"I think given that ward," Artie said tapping the staff on the stone as they crossed the bridge, "we should be careful, there might be more since it's clear Rachel prepared for-"

Artie disappeared from view in a puff of smoke.

"Yeah," Mercedes remarked as Tina cleared the air, "she's prepared alright."

With the clearing of a smoke, revealed a set of carved stairs that cut underneath the bridge.

Kurt summoned a ball of fire as they hurried down the stairs, only to find Artie sitting on a landing, clutching his head.

"Are you okay?" Tina asked handing him the staff.

"Well enough." He rubbed his fingers searching for blood. "Looks like we found a shortcut."

Peering further into the tunnel, at the end was two tunnel holes. Catching sight of Kurt's expression, Mercedes interjected, "no, no splitting up. We're going together."

"Why not?" Tina asked, "It would better to try all our options."

"It's better to have someone you can trust at your back," Mercedes continued as Artie climbed back up to his feet. He was making a gesture to be quiet that Mercedes ignored as she turned to Tina. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"There is when everyone's lying to each other!"

There it was out, the words that been hanging over her for days. The words floating around them finally addressing the elephant that had being journeying along with them on their quest.

"Everyone has their secrets," Kurt said at once.

"You only say that when you don't want to tell a thing," Tina spat, "it would have been nice to know that you're Finn's brother!"

"You're kidding!" Mercedes exclaimed.

"I am," Kurt said steely, "I had to get away from the duchy, after Finn was clearly the favored sun despite him looking for a star," his lip curled bitterly.

"You know how much time we wasted jumping around because you're afraid of being found out?" Mercedes asked, "We could have gone straight to your brother instead transpiring across the kingdom!"

"You've been saying that for ages, Tina scowled, "why are you so eager to get this over with?"

"Maybe we shouldn't do this under all this rock," Artie offered up but was ignored as Kurt interjected:

"There's a reward isn't there?" When Mercedes didn't say a ward, as the pieces fell together. "The King offered you something if you brought Rachel back?" Kurt asked quietly, "he offered you something when you arranged things with him from the start? Didn't he?"

"My skill is near enough to Rachel but I just deal with a different set of magics," Mercedes said tersely as Tina looked away, "If she came back I would have someone to compete against and you don't know how much I had to struggle to get up here. I have to either make a name for myself or go back home which is not an option."

"And you have this in mind when it was all about the team," Tina muttered whipping around to the group, "I'm glad I know now. You're using us to get up higher, he's using this quest to avoid his personal issues, and you-" she halted at Artie was looking on with some confusion.

"He's the Wizard Abrams," Kurt said quietly. "He's a childhood friend of Finn and Puck, I knew him by reputation though."

Tina looked confused while Mercedes frowned.

"It's just a title that's been overblown," Artie replied absently tapping the staff on the stone stairs. "It means nothing."

"You're lying," Kurt retorted, "you know much more than you should about things. You took extra care to address people by tittles. So either your memory's coming back or you never lost it at all."

But Tina had fixed him with hard stare. "When?"

"The farseer wasn't broken, it was charmed to jar my memory, and it did." Artie said as Tina's closed her eyes. "It was easier to go along and pretend otherwise because it made it easier, than explaining everything to the fullest," He cleared his throat, "and they do say every road is paved with good intentions-"

"If you lied about that," Tina interrupted, "how I do I know everything else wasn't a lie?" Before she could let the words hang over then she whipped around to Kurt, "and how did you know it was him. You weren't just making fun with the merefolk comments?

"That was my biggest hint," Kurt said, "The accident he had meant he couldn't walk and I only started to put it together when Tina told me about the spells."

Artie sunk onto the stairs, making a face. "What did you tell him? That was private."

"What a pickle," Mercedes retorted dryly as Tina strode away from the group but still close enough to still be in the conversation. "Why didn't you tell us who you were? Why go through the charade of pretending to be a hapless sorcerer?"

"It didn't change anything," Artie replied. "And I guess like the rest of you I running away from something as well, and no," he said to Kurt who had flashed the ball of fire into his face, "I didn't sell my soul to walk, it's about eight levels of spells, and-" he tapped at the gemstone around his neck, "supported by this."

"It matters," Mercedes said firmly, "because since you arrived you put everything into question. Why we were going after Rachel, why did she leave, why couldn't we take up the role Rachel is going to fill?"

"I never asked that," Artie pointed out.

"Forget me being a noble," Kurt said, " forget about Mercedes having her eye on different dragon caches, and Tina's ability to worm information out of people, you knew all of them much better than we did! Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"I hadn't had this much fun in years."

As Kurt opened his mouth to protest, Mercedes held up a hand.

"Wait," Mercedes interrupted, "what exactly do you know, because I'm really confused right now."

"I know for a fact this is a trap."

"How?" Tina asked stiffly.

Artie pointed the staff towards the tunnel, where bespectacled woman stood before them looking rather menacing despite her carrying a glowing badminton racquet.

"Sparkles." Tina swore, as the enchantment snapped around them like a cage.


	7. Journey's End

[7]

* * *

As prisons go this was pretty nice.

Tina sat on the bed, looking at the extravagant furnishings, thinking if she didn't have other things on her mind she wouldn't mind staying here for some time. The bed was soft, and the bookshelf stacked with books, and the carpet was thick and furry.

The guard who seemed to be a drunk only managed to capture them because they were off guard. But perhaps it worked for the best they were inside, and separated.

Tina fell back on the bed, her hand twitched to pull out her knives, but the drunken witch had at least the sense to remember relieve her of that.

A part of her wanted to stay angry at all of them for the lies they told, even if they withheld it for good reasons. But she couldn't no matter how hard she tried. Call it her effervescent personality but in some ways it made it easier knowing they all had something to go back after to this was all over. That they weren't expected to stay together as unit, that this journey was over.

Maybe she should read a book while she was waiting for their captor to interrogate them.

Tina's eyes darted around the room to the bookshelf only to realize the implications of the window in the room.

She placed her hand on the window, and when she didn't feel a ward, she pressed it open, staring out at the sheer cliff before her.

Tina stood on the ledge, straining to see how many windows were around her, before she took a deep breath and threw herself off the ledge. Letting the wind do work for her, she whistled softly gliding between the windows, glancing out at them as she passed until she caught sight of a familiar face in the window.

Tina fluttered to the window ledge and knocked on the window once she gained her bearings.

Kurt jumped up high enough to make Tina think he had an affinity with air as well.

"By Gaga, Prada, and Couture, Tina are you trying kill yourself?" He yelled as he opened the window, "or better yet kill me!"

"It's the only way out of our comfortable prison," Tina said as she sat down in a slight crouch, noticing that the wardrobe spread out on the bed and chairs were from Kurt's own trunk. "Unless you rather stay since this is a comfort close to what you know."

Kurt picked up the shirt he must have dropped when she made her entrance.

"You're going to half to fight the dragons off before I do if you're going to make me feel guilty. How long have you've been gone from the Clans?"

Tina didn't answer.

"I thought so." Kurt sat down on the bed, sighing. "It felt like my father found the son he always wanted. I decided to make things easier for him and stayed longer in the capital even though I was being stifled by Schue. If I were to be honest, I probably learned more from Artie blowing up things and Mercedes running errands across the kingdom than anything else."

"You have to go back though, Finn needs someone to guide him," Tina said, "he's looking for a star."

Kurt shook his head, "He's was always a bit big on grandiose gestures."

"I think it's a metaphor," Tina said slowly pacing the words out, "Rachel does have a thing for stars."

"Oh for the love of- I hate them both, why couldn't he just say he was looking for her!"

"People do things for strange reasons," Tina shrugged, "he probably wanted to avoid certain responsibilities."

"Are you projecting?" Kurt asked amusedly.

"I was a kid when I left," Tina admitted, "I just wanted to see the world." She stood bracing herself against the window, "I'm going to find the others. I'll be back."

"Wait don't-"

Kurt's swears floated in the air above her as Tina fell backwards into the sky. Whistling, she swooped over floating in the tunnel of swirling wind as she glanced back up at the window Kurt was frantically waving his hands about. From her vantage point she saw the open window from her own, and estimated the surrounding windows and took a wild bet.

She was in luck, she realized as she landed on the ledge of Mercedes's window.

"You're a plum fool."

"Good to see you too." Tina sat down, catching her breath watching as Mercedes sat penning a letter. "I don't know how you're going to mail that from here."

"Ha," she said tossing the pen down as she shrugged. "Yes, I should have said something, but you're overreacting."

"It was everything all at once," Tina admitted, "I calmed down."

"I wanted to tell you," Mercedes said abruptly, "but I figured it didn't matter to you about the promotion. Not," she added staring at the letter before her, "like it's going to happen."

"It fell through?"

"I'm not going to take it. I have other skills than magic. Matt offered me a place in his information ring."

"Wait," Tina said, "he's a spy? You said he was a painter!"

"Girl," Mercedes shook her head, "you really need to get out more."

"How would I have known he was spy!"

"Didn't you and Artie wonder about all the books that were in the library? More than a few are contraband."

"I wouldn't know," Tina said looking away.

"You haven't found Artie yet have you?" Mercedes asked.

"No," Tina shot her a glare, "should I have?"

"I don't know you tell me."

Tina found herself grinning, despite everything.

"You keep everything locked in too much," Mercedes said returning to her letter, "if you tell me that's why you left in the first place."

Tina didn't answer but fell backwards off the windowsill once again. It didn't take too long to figure out which room was Artie's. He was sitting by the open window, watching her, his expression hard to make out from the distance.

"You do know," he said as she stepped onto on the ledge. "There aren't any wards or locks on the door. You could have walked down the hallway. I had some nice chats with Kurt and Mercedes."

She shrugged hiding her start of surprise. "This was more fun."

"I imagine."

They sat in silence for a bit, as the gentle breeze made the curtains flutter around them.

"I'm sorry." They blurted out together.

"But I lied about the amnesia and everything."

"And I overreacted so it's even." Tina said smiling.

"I even faked the spells not working."

"Kurt won't be happy about that, he'll think you've been doing out of spite."

"I wish," he muttered.

"Tell me," Tina asked, "what as the accident?"

"I fell off a building when I was stealing spells from an Elvish university."

Tina stared. "You're lying."

"Solemn truth," Artie replied with a grin, "I snuck into libraries and read up on a variety of spells in my free time. When the guards came I snuck onto the roof and lost my balance. I was lucky they felt sorry for me or I might have been turned into tree. But all in all, it was probably an equivalent trade for the spells I stole."

She braced herself to ask about how long had remained paralyzed before attempting spells to give him back the ability to walk, when Artie glanced back at the door. "Do you think we should go consult with our gracious hostess?"

"Why not?" Tina asked.

She strode to the door, and found just like Artie had said it to be, unlocked and with Kurt and Mercedes hovering at the door frame listening in.

Kurt toppled backwards losing his balance but Mercedes met the smirk Tina flashed at her.

"Listening in for juicy details? You two really are bad at it being fairy godmothers."

"The plan is to get the abyss out of here," Mercedes began ignoring her, "Now that we aren't at each others' throats anymore."

"Aren't you curious if it's really Rachel who captured us?" Tina asked.

"And put us in the lovely furnished rooms," Kurt added.

Mercedes glowered at them. "No."

"I am," Tina said firmly.

"Aren't I the one," Kurt added, "with the plans that don't work? Fleeing without answers seems like a dumb thing to do."

Tina wasn't sure if the floor was shifting underneath their feet, but she wasn't willingly to wait and see for a more formidable show.

"I think it would useful," Artie added as he leaned against the door frame twirling the staff around. "To look around first."

"Fine, let's go in search then!" Mercedes she strode down the hallway and kicked open the first door she saw. "No one's in here."

She slammed it shut, and strode to the next.

"Don't be like this," Tina begged as Mercedes kicked open the next, "we're only here-"

"Because this all my fault," Mercedes growled, "empty room with sheet music, that I wanted desperately to belong somewhere, because all of you are part of something special. Whether it's your family, your clan, wizard stuff you have going on, I have nothing but a dead body-" she shrieked, slamming the door behind her, "there's a dead body in there!"

"Really?" Artie perked up crossing the hall, more animated than he was a moment ago. Mercedes moved to the side blocking the door handle.

"We don't need to go in there," Mercedes hissed, "we could be next!"

"That's the interesting part about it."

"We're wasting time," Kurt interjected, "let's just look."

"I hate you all," Mercedes muttered stepping aside and Artie pushed open the door.

The four of them peered into the doorway, into the dimly lit room.

"I don't see anything," Tina whispered as Kurt gasped, "there really is someone in here."

A little girl lay on a bed, her blond hair pooled around her with an array of stuffed animals watching over her like guardians.

"Wait," Mercedes whispered as they entered the room, "doesn't she look she look familiar?"

"I don't know any- you're right," Kurt added, "splitting image of Quinn."

"Oh," Tina eyes widened, "That's explains everything."

"And so," Mercedes nodded, as Artie checked her pulse, "but not why she's dead."

"She's not dead." Artie said as along with an echoing softer voice.

"Beth's just under an enchantment." A tiny woman, girl almost, stood behind them smiling brightly as she placed book to the side.

As Tina took in the sudden appearance she was irked by something familiar about her.

"Jesse brought me here to help cure her. Said Ms. Corcoran tried before but they healer they found wasn't very good. Beth's been like that for many moons it seems."

"I suppose there's a reason," Kurt said dryly eying the open door, "you haven't started screaming yet."

The young woman smiled, widely at Tina who finally put the pieces together, "there's no need to when Snowdew is here."

They turned to her, Artie mouthing "Snowdew" while Kurt coughed hastily.

"Don't you dare say a word!" Tina retorted her face flushed with embarrassment.

"I'm surprised to see you here," Sunshine said, "did your dreams lead you here like mine did?"

"Your dreams?" Tina stuttered.

"Well, I-"

"Sunshine it time for us to our daily practice in –" The new person start short seeing them.

Kurt gave a little wave, "Long time no see, Berry. I see you somehow managed to find a tailor that sews animals onto your clothes."

"This is," Rachel said dramatically pressing hand to her chest, "this is unexpected."

"How about anticlimactic. You're a nursemaid instead of being held prisoner," Kurt sat down in a chair, "I was even willing to storm a castle. Not in these shoes though."

"What are you doing here?" Rachel asked, "If I remember none of you like me."

"We don't," Kurt said.

Mercedes cleared her throat, "when was the last time you were in McKinley?"

"Quite some time ago," Rachel asked, "why? Are you going to tell me my talent is being missed, when you wanted, and I quote to preserve my talent in a jar?"

A stricken expression flashed across Mercedes's face and Tina stepped up, "Mr. Schue wanted us to find you and when we were thinking back why you left to suddenly, and the questions lead us here. Wherever here is."

"Jesse's stronghold," Rachel said with little enthusiasm, "he's away at the time diligently seeking out a cure for little Beth, he'll be back soon."

"When was the last time you saw him?" Artie asked.

Rachel's expression faltered, biting her lip.

"He's not dead is he?" Kurt interjected.

"Not," Rachel drew herself up, "not to my knowledge. I liked to know why you are. Weren't your rooms rather pleasing? Ms. Castle made sure you were all taken care of thoroughly."

"We were enchanted!" Mercedes said hotly.

"You were trespassing. And you still all, whatever business you may have, it has nothing to do with Beth."

"Actually it does," Artie looked over at Sunshine who was casting spells over Beth that were rebounding gently against the wards she held in place. "You're here because you're trying to cure her, and we're here because we need you as much as you need us."

"How do I need you?"

"You have neutral magic don't you? Tina said you don't have much affinity with more specific types of magics"

Mercedes made a face, and for a moment Tina was afraid she going to snap at Artie for bringing it up again, her eyes suddenly lit up.

"You do need us," Mercedes said smoothly, "the four of us have elemental tendencies."

Tina was glad Rachel wasn't looking in her direction. Her jaw had fallen at Mercedes words. Her friend was speaking as if she never had spoken a word against them talking about theory behind magic.

"We're a unit, and can overload the spell in way you can't."

"Overcome," Tina coughed into her hand.

"Exactly," Mercedes said, "we'll get Beth free on the enchantment, it's what you wanted right?"

"What's the catch," Rachel asked, "why are you being so nice to me?"

"No catch," Mercedes said, "we found you. Whether or not you come back with us is your own decision."

That was something Tina doubted highly, but she wasn't about to argue at such a crucial moment.

"That sounds wonderful," Sunshine said her enthusiasm was infectious enough that Rachel cracked a smile. "We've been trying for ages, let them try, enchantress. They might be able to do it."

"Well then," Rachel hesitated, "While you work on that I'll prepare something for you."

"Make sure you fire that Castle woman," Kurt hollered after her, "those hemlines went out of style of a decade ago!"

The powerful enchantresses left shutting the door behind them, leaving them in the room with the bespelled little girl.

"What," Kurt muttered leaping out his chair, "was that about? Working together as a unit? No matter how much we talk about in theory, our styles don't mesh!"

"That was before," Mercedes said quickly, "and mostly because we didn't trust the magic or each other. Surely at least one of those things have changed by now."

Kurt quickly glanced over at Artie before he crossed his arms. "You convinced me," he said stiffly, and then turned to Artie, "your turn."

"What spell do you think it is?" Tina asked.

"I don't know yet," Artie remarked as he idly tapped the staff on the floor. "I wonder why she's here in the first place?"

"It what Sylvester was talking about, the baby snatching," Tina said looking at Beth. "She's probably the chess piece that's keeping Quinn from speaking out against Sylvester, instead of any spells the Witch of East cast."

"Bringing back both Beth and Rachel would solve everything then," Kurt muttered. "Sylvester loses her blackmail and Quinn stands against the bill. I'm pretty sure at least one of the Duchesses would change sides if Quinn did. And if I bring back Finn, it'll be enough numbers to squash the bill for good."

"You're getting ahead of yourself," Mercedes cautioned.

"You just promised we could do it," Artie pointed out.

She beamed at him. "I trust you."

Artie rolled his eyes. "Now you say it."

"You were only messing up because you're memory was faulty, that's not the case now is it?"

Mercedes continued to smile.

"It's a memory charm," Artie said without a trace of irony. "But it's halfway done, with a poor attempt to remove. The reason she's in this state because she's being held between the spell and the counter spell. Which crystallized around her, we break it if we overcome the barrier."

"Nothing elegant, just blasting it," Kurt asked caustically, Artie began to cast a ward. "what are we going to do put a hole in the ceiling?"

Tina nudged him in the arm, "stop talking."

Kurt swallowed his complaints as the room filled with a glow of soft blue light around them. Wards in the shape of diamonds floated around them in a pattern that vaguely reminded Tina of argyle.

"Hold out your hands," Artie gestured placing his hand palm down in the air above Beth's head. Tina followed in suit first, brushing the tips of her fingers next to his, Mercedes and Kurt following in suit.

"Follow my lead."

It was different from the time he had attempted to walk them through making wards. Instead of being thrown out haphazardly it truly felt like she being guided through the spell. In the back of her mind as they formed spell around Beth, Tina couldn't help but think they might have been some truth in him pretending to get the spells wrong on purpose.

But in the end it didn't quite matter to her.

There was something just right, with the four of them doing a spell together like she had all imagined. Kurt's fiercely bright magic swirling around bursting for fight, buffered against Artie's cooler though just as bold magics. Mercedes grounded them all with her calm and unmoving force, balancing out the boys' magic and keeping Tina's own flighty magic in control.

Under their ministrations, the four elements swirled into a ball of tightly condensed magic as the diamonds wards surrounded it, shrinking as flew around Beth leaving a trail of blue slight behind it as it flew.

Tina's knees buckled as the ball of magic flew past her, her unnecessary exertions from earlier getting the best of her.

"I'm fine," she said as feels a hand on her shoulder. "Did I shatter the spell, we can try again."

But there was silence above, even from Kurt whom she knew had something to say.

Tina pushed herself off the floor, just in time to see the Beth's eyes flicker open as she yawned. "I want my mama."

Chaos soon erupted in the room, as Kurt jumps few feet into the air, and both Tina and Mercedes nearly knock each other out as they went to go get Rachel and Sunshine before they disappeared.

As for the little girl in the middle of all of it, she was looked at them all as if they were crazy people, and perhaps they were.

* * *

It didn't take long to pull the entire story out of Rachel, not when the three of them were using their myriad talents to elicit a response.

The story appeared that evening filling in the gaps in what they had so far.

The Jesse St. James had come to the Capital in disguise at the whim of the Witch of the West. He initially came to seek out Rachel whom was the witch's daughter. Finn mistook that interest and her motives for going with St. James and called her a traitor, so she fled with him from the city. During her flight, she crossed paths with the Witch of the East who was had a child with her, but she thought nothing of it. She would later learn from rumor and excellent deductive skills that it was the same child was the one Quinn and Puck had out of wedlock and was stolen from the family they had placed her with. Despite Jessed warning her not to, Rachel stole back the child leaving a doppelganger in Beth's place.

"But I heard the rumors that were going the city, and I've been humiliated and I couldn't go back, not even with Beth." Rachel bit her lip, digging her finger into the cushion of the armchair, "But I probably should have gone, instead of going to see my mother. I think much of it, since I figured it would be the opportunity to meet the woman who blessed me such talent, but it was mistake. She desired Beth for her own, to mold in an image after herself since I was unfit to become the Witch of the West Quarter after her. I wouldn't let her have Beth, she placed an enchantment on her. And…" Rachel trailed off without words for once.

"Jesse brought me here, because he thought I could be of some help," Sunshine added, "but it wasn't magic I was familiar with no matter how hard I tried."

"So now it's broken," Mercedes said, "and you come back with us. I'm sure what you did can be explained away."

"On no," Rachel shook her head, "I can't."

"Where else can you go," Kurt asked, "they won't let you into Carmel you're too notorious. And I don't see you bumming around the countryside unknown and a pest."

"Some talents are meant to be shared," Tina added quickly reaching over and touching her on the shoulder.

Rachel looked up with a weak smile, "You think so?"

"Is what you always said," Tina said, "You needed applause to get your spells to go right,"

"You're right," Rachel jumped to her feet startling Tina, "I don't deserve to be locked away! I have talents that need to give to the kingdom. I'll pack to go away right now!"

"That was quick," Kurt remarked dryly as Rachel bustled out the room, "And much easier than I anticipated. Should we be worried?"

"It's almost expected," Mercedes added. "She can't turn down spotlight."

"I don't what I'll do though," Sunshine said, "no one else is here, we hadn't seen Jesse for a long time, I don't want to be here by myself."

"Would you like," Tina said quietly, "to go home? I know it hard to get back, and maybe you explain how you lost in the first place?"

"Well there was a storm but I don't remember much afterwards…"

Sunshine told the tale in full riveting details that got both Kurt and Mercedes worked up, but in honesty Tina didn't pay much attention as she should have.

Her eyes had fallen had across the room where Artie was stretched out on the couch no longer pretending he wasn't dozing.

She wouldn't go as far as calling it love, but she did feel uneasy on returning to the clans when everything was left in the air. The lies, the kiss in the woods, the way she seriously considered never returning to the Clans.

Kurt was right in some ways, she knew nothing about who he was, but she did know some things. The enthusiasm he had anything taking everything in stride, the ease he teased both Kurt and Mercedes, and the fact she couldn't figure out if he had really had cheated when playing cards or not.

And maybe that was that mattered.

Tina blinked in surprise when Sunshine suddenly leaped to her feet and went off to check on Beth, drawing her out her musings.

Kurt and Mercedes started to talk politics, and bored she crossed the room without a second thought sitting to Artie on the couch.

"You fell asleep."

His eyes fluttered open a bit, but didn't make another move.

"I was listening."

"Don't bother, Rachel's very tiring." Tina said glanced over where their friends were seemly occupied with their discussion. She heard Rachel's name tossed out a few times, as well as some other noble names. "By the way, when did you break that gem of yours? When you checking her pulse or after we revealed how crucial a chess piece she was?"

Artie's eyes were wide open now, puzzled as if he was looking for some subtext in her words.

"Does it matter when?"

"Since it determine your motivations. How many levels of magic was that?"

He shivered, "I don't really remember."

Tina smiled a bit. "Haven't heard that one before."

"No matter what you think, I really did have amnesia. That's why I was with the Witch of the South. I was doing an experiment to get some ability to walk again, and it blew up in my face. I remembered the spells, but seldom else." He grinned faintly,"Don't tell Kurt though."

"I promised I wouldn't," She said trying not to laugh.

"She summoned you, mostly because she realized I had an affinity with water, and magic would have been the pathway to get my memory back, and it worked. And if I didn't break the keystone everything would be fine."

Tina's smile faded, "if that crystal was a keystone for the spell, are you going to make another one?"

"It depends." He scrunched up his face, "it's nice to walk, but it's too much of hassle. The magic's taxing and-

"And what?"

"If we're going to continue this crazy quest, I might consider it."

Tina looked down at her hands, catching the full implication of his words. "I'm going to take Sunshine back to the Clans." She revealed abruptly before he could speak, "It's time I returned and settled matters there, and I was going to regardless of her. Mercedes's taking Rachel back to the capital, and she's going to inform both Puck and Quinn about Beth being returned to her family. And I think Kurt's going to track Finn down and bring him home -"

"Are you going to stay long?"

"I don't know, they might," Tina tried to laugh, "keep me from leaving again. It won't be as easy as last time I'm sure. But Sunshine has power power than I have and hopefully she'll make a better Dreamwalker than I could ever have. "

"Then," Artie said patting her hand, "we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"


	8. Epilogue

[Epilogue]

* * *

Tina wrapped the scarf around her face closer as she walked through the snow covered streets. Although her watch told it was still early in the day, the cloudy skies made it seem much later as the street lights were slowly lit with glowing luminaries.

In her pocket was the address she was seeking, but she had forgotten gloves and didn't want to remove her hands from the confines of her warm pockets despite the fact she had three letters she could have referenced resting in there.

She had forgotten how cold it was in the Capital opposed to back home. But in some ways it was warmer than the last time she was here in the spring. Rachel had made a stunning debut in the kingdom her presence able to knock back both the bill and bring a surge of new students interested in magic once again. From what she heard it was more about her rise from unknown than any talent, but it was all for the best. It meant she could walk down the streets with less worries from the Cherrios since Sylvester's hold on the King had passed and the rumor across the kingdom was the captain's screams were loud enough to wake the dead."

Like Mercedes had predicted without the promised position she fell into the backdrop, but judging by her letters she didn't seemed too unhappy. Mercedes had taken up "painting" as she called it putting her talents to good use mingling with the members of court working closely with Matt. She had become good friends with Quinn despite everything, and even managed to bring Puck back to the Capital somewhat restored as a knight though his gambling habits still in full force.

Kurt and his stepbrother had returned home, with actually a fallen star in his possession. Tina didn't get the full details, but she knew at least Finn was taking on his duties and was one of the acting forces in keeping the bill back. Apparently Finn was also talking to Rachel again, and Kurt casually mentioned in his letter of the prospects of her attending the wedding. As for himself, Kurt was thinking of infiltrating the Cherrios again, because he caught sight of the witches that had kidnapped Tina earlier that spring and he had a score to settle with them.

And as for Artie…

The doorbell rang as Tina opened the door, and she brushed off the snow on the collar of her coat. Standing in the music shop, looking at the stringed instruments and sheet music on the shelves she was startled when an older man dressed all in black suddenly appeared out of nowhere

He didn't say a word but gestured from her to follow him, behind the counter. He pointed at the door.

Tina peered into the room, first struck by the pile of papers on the desk, and the guitar tuning itself on the table. As her eyes darted from it, she heard a familiar humming, and found its source sitting in a wheelchair reaching for a book just out of reach.

Without thinking she strode up, and nudged the book down with a flick of her wrist.

"I see," Artie said with a surprised smile as he turned around taking the book, "Brad let you in."

"Brad?" She looked back to see the man in black expecting to see him, and only saw more sheet music.

"He's always around." Artie placed the book on his lap and rolled over to where a piano sat half covered with papers. "He's handy in masquerading this place off as a music shop."

"But the bill didn't pass," Tina said taking a seat by the piano, her fingers absently tapping on the keys. "You could sell magic point blank."

"And be a target for vandals? It's better to hide in plain sight, plus its fun." Artie's eyes gleamed with amusement. "How was the trip, ran into trouble leaving?"

"Not at all," Tina admitted, "Sunshine was welcomed back so readily, it made it easier to slip away once all the rites were done. Why do you ask?"

"Your hair's purple now," Artie touching the streaks, "I like it." His hand fingers slipped tucking the strand of hair behind her ear. "Is there a reason for the change?"

Her face flushed a bit, not sure if she herself had answer for the hereditary streaks that changed colors on their own accord. The answer the villager elder gave her made her ears turn red.

"About your letter," Tina paused for bit a before she continued, "You said once before you used several levels of spells to weave around, I like to learn them."

"You do?"

His surprised amused her, as if he had reasons to doubt. Perhaps he was right too. But things were resolved back home and there were no more excuses, no more reason to hold back.

"You know the spells are just for traveling," Artie said tapping the chair's armrest, "otherwise it's the chair for me."

"I know," Tina took his hand, curling her fingers around his, "I just want to let you know I want to be here for you, if you need it."

"It goes both ways," Artie replied, glancing briefly at their clasped hands, "since I think you just permanently exiled yourself from your home."

"Then I'll just find a new one."

"Knock, knock," Kurt called.

They looked up as Kurt and Mercedes flew through the door. Artie made a face at them, while Mercedes smiled giving Tina a knowing wink as they took spots around the piano.

"I told you she didn't get lost," Mercedes said Kurt who rolled his eyes as he pulled a letter out of his jacket. "She just wanted to settle a few things before we got here."

"Sure." Kurt glanced between them, glancing at their clasped hands. The mere lift of his eyebrow seemed like approval in some ways, and nodded briefly at them. "Do what you want. I think all our letters crossed," Kurt said to Artie, "but you said yes?"

Artie nodded.

"Yes to what?" Tina asked.

"Kurt has a quest for us." Mercedes said. "We might get to storm a castle, this time,"

"Or battle some armies," Artie added.

"Or break enchantments over an entire town."

"Or even figure out how he gets all his clothes."

"Ha, ha." Kurt replied as he unfolded the letter, rolling his eyes at Artie and Mercedes.

"What's going on?" Tina asked.

"Remember Blaine?" Kurt said.

"The one who escape Quinn's party?" Tina asked, "is he your new lover?"

Papers across the table signed with flames, "No!" Kurt protested blushingly furiously, yelling over the others laughter as blew the flames out, "He's not. He just gave me token, asked me to return this to a temple for him. He'd do it himself, be I owed him the favor."

Out the bag that seemed to hold entire rooms of things, Kurt pulled out a large gilded birdcage which, to Tina's amazement, held a bird held captive inside and placed it on top of the piano.

"It's alive," Tina whispered as the bird turned its head.

Artie leaned forward studying the bird closely, "There's an enchantment on it, I can't tell if it's on the bird or some kind of living spell."

"Do even know what it is?" Mercedes asked. "or what fool plan you got into this time?"

Kurt's lips twitched. "Do you care?"

"No," Mercedes said staring at the cage, "but it better not get me killed I say that much."

"It'll be a dangerous though, "Kurt replied, "Because I think there's more to this bird than Blaine let on."

"No kidding," Mercedes snorted.

"But we'll be together though," Tina added beamed at her friends. "Doesn't Schue always say the journey is worth it, not the destination?"

Artie squeezed her hand, "Journey's always the best part."

"So," Mercedes leaned forward tapping the cage, "where's this temple located?"

* * *

~Fin~


End file.
